HR Talk- Manage the Talent

HR Talk

Retaining the talent

Recently one of my friends forwarded to me a mail. It was a small story that portrays the conversation of a camel to its kid.  The kid is asking to the camel: Mom, why we do have this much strong eyelids? The Camel replies: It is to protect our eyes from sand storms. Kid: Why we do have our teeth like this? Mom: Because we eat the thorny bushes of desert and we are desert ships. Kid: Why we do have a back where a lot of water can be stored? Mom: because we are living in deserts and it is difficult to find out water sources in desert, so by this storage humps on our back, we manage our food needs. Kid: then, for what we do have this much big foot? Mom: Because we are walking through the sands, and we need to strengthen our steps in order to move. Finally the kid is asking like this: “what is the use of all this as we are in the zoo?

Yes, it is a good question. What is the use of its super eyelashes, stretched feet, strong teeth and sturdy mouth and storage humps, while it is kept in the cage in a zoo, where it will get food and water whenever needed and no threat of storm or sands while walking. Likewise what is the use of your skills and capabilities when you are in a company where you are spoon-fed and no one caring about your talents?

The prime reason for not able to retain the employees is absence of “family feeling” in the company. Most of the companies don’t engage employees with extracurricular activities and to opportunities to mingle with. Thus employees working in the companies will have ‘colleagues’, but no ‘friends’. Because, they are not getting time to understand each other and to understand the situation what his colleague faces. In the team building activities, and grouping activities, companies should involve employees in these kinds of activities and should encourage casual visits to others home during weekends. During the celebrations and occasions like marriage and joy of employees, top position holders should attend it and make the employee feel that he is important to the company.

The compensation and benefits are the best way to retain employees without any doubts. But I have seen a lot of employees are not thinking about changing their company as they are happy with the atmosphere and the workers in the company are as their relatives those who are caring each other. While the other side, if they were thinking to move, they could have been paid better.

What is your policy behind attracting and keeping the talented people motivated with your company? If we ask this question to many a companies of the region, the answer is a big silence. Most of the region’s top most companies have no policy in employee retention as well as they lack most of the modern best HR practices.

At least some of them think that, paying money right and left is the best way to hold employees. Perhaps, it may not. Because, if an employee feel restlessness at his work place, that will be the first hint that he is not happy with his work even though he is paid a high salary.

Above the compensation and benefits, employee should have a ‘family feeling’ when he enter to the country. When an employee feels that I am inevitable part of the company and contributing for the benefit of the company, he feels satisfaction. So companies should ensure that all employees are contributing to the company in one way or another, and this idea should be cascaded to all the employees that their service has brought drastic changes in the performance of the company. This feeling will force employee to stick with the company further and to think about how much more he can contribute to the company. Loyalty will increase when people get recognized their effort and get respected by the company or its high authorities.

A study brought forward that most of the employees using their only 30-40 percentage of caliber for the sake of the company. The rest either is idle or utilising for extracurricular activities. A company through their vigilant managers should be able to identify these calibers and take appropriate measures, to utilize the caliber of the employees in a manner that will benefit the company in total. A recent study of exit interviews found that money was not the reason good talent was leaving. They wanted to be part of a worthwhile enterprise, be influential in decision-making, and create and contribute to mutually agree upon objectives.