This case discusses some of the steps any company can take to inspire and motivate employees and to lower turnover.
1. What are some of the suggestions a multinational can use to motivate and retain its employees?
2. Do you think all of the suggestions would apply in all countries? Why or why not?
3. Which of the suggestions would work best for a collectivistic country? Why?
Transcribed Image Text: Retain top performers in a tough economy: inspire loyalty and passion in your employees
Success
While big multinationals make headlines when their executives leave, smaller businesses can be especially hurt when top performers jump ship. "Turnover in a small business
has a much greater impact on loss of customer loyally," says Keith Avers, head of Integra Leadership Institute and author of Engagement Is Not Enough: You Need Passionate
Employees to Achieve Your Dream. "Smaller businesses typically have a small, loyal customer base who get to know the staff well and get special attention. Then that staff
member leaves, and with them goes not only the relationship, but also the knowledge of that customer's likes and dislikes and special needs."
In tough economic times it can be difficult to find ways to keep valued team members--not to mention inspire them--when there is little extra cash to use as a motivator.
Fortunately, money is much less important to employees than many managers believe, says Mary Hladio, a human resource consultant based in Cincinnati. "All the research
shows that the reason people leave a job has nothing to do with money," she says. "It has to do with the opportunities they get, the culture of their workplace or the manager.
There is a reason why firefighters are firefighters and teachers are teachers--they do it for a bigger cause."
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The most important thing a company can do is create a place where people want to work, experts say. Such an environment is a place with a purpose bigger than any
individual and where peoples ideas, feelings and personal lives are respected.
Ayers says programs and tactics are less effective in retaining and inspiring employees than genuinely trusting and valuing them. "When leaders see their employees as
partners in their success and start treating them that way," he says, "morale and loyalty skyrocket."
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* Do meaningful work. To help people meet this need, create a mission statement with core values and reference it frequently, Hladio says. This statement should have a
common theme that ties the history of the business to the future. It will also outline what employees should aim for in daily decisions. "This gives each employee something
to strive for that is bigger than revenue or a paycheck or the customer," Hladio says. Give each employee a framed copy of the statement.
* Be respected. "All people need to be respected for who they are, not just for what they do," Ayers says. When people fee] respected, their natural desire to learn and grow is
ignited, and they want to increase their contribution to the organization. Hladio promotes building respect among the employees by creating flexible work schedules, allowing
employees to build their professional lives around their personal lives. "This requires a level of trust that the work will get done." she says. Hladio also suggests creating a
cross-training program in which employees spend a day or a week learning the tasks of people in different departments with whom they frequently interact. "Now someone in
production understands what it means to work in operations, and (heir contact there is Bob or Cindy not just some anonymous person" she says.
* Be an insider Employees want to be involved in problem-solving and decision-making. "This lets them know they are truly valued," Ayers says. Create a process by which
employees contribute ideas to make the business better--a designated email address, a peer-review process for choosing and rewarding the best ideas, and a culture in which
managers solicit employee input to solve problems.
* Be on a winning team. In addition to celebrating the company's financial goals, find other ways to celebrate as an organization. One of the most important ways to support
employees is lo celebrate their individual successes, including the occasional choice to leave the company, Hladio says. It's wise to give departing employees a warm send-off
party, gift or thoughtful note from managers and executives. But it is equally wise to consistently create an environment in which employees are cross-trained, and no single
individual is solely knowledgeable about a process or client. "If the controller suddenly leaves, they can be confident that an administrative assistant knows how to run
reports," Hladio says. This ensures that departing workers feel free to leave their old positions, and the remaining employees are confident that the gap will be filled.
"Companies need to learn that their employees leaving can be a win," Hladio says. They might return later with new contacts, skills and enthusiasm; they can help facilitate
new business for their previous employer in the new position; and top team members can help build a company's reputation as they move on to bright futures. "If employers
can celebrate that, it creates a stir among the workers who do stay that they are supported and valued," she says.