Here are three sure fire ways to not only lose the people you have but also scare off any great potential employees.
3 Great Ways to Scare Off Potential Employees
1. Use Layoffs as a Way to “Meet the Quarterly Numbers”
Although proven time and time again, somehow organizations STILL use layoffs as a tool. Layoffs are NOT a good tactic to remedy short term budget crises.
More than anything, layoffs — and the potential for layoffs — causes a sense of panic within the employee base. ~ Mr. Van Gorder, CEO Health Scripps
2. Don’t Allow for Flex-Time, Working from Home, Job-Sharing or Other Alternative Work Arrangements
Somehow during economic programs like flex-time, working at home or alternative work weeks seem to lose their luster. But why? Is it because they are less effective? No. Most organizations see these types of work arrangements as “perks.” But they are not perks. They are the new way of work and actually work to INCREASE productivity.
Companies are finding that flextime boosts productivity, and more and more of them, including Kraft Foods, Texas Instruments and First Tennessee Bank are taking advantage of it. When employees manage their own schedules, their stress levels decline and they focus better on their tasks. ~ Emily Schmitt, Forbes
Recently, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer announces that employees can no longer work from home and must report to a Yahoo office by June. The stated reason was to create more innovation. The company has been struggling and Mayer thinks that this will help them increase business through innovative creativity.
However, there is a large group of people think that this move will hurt more than help. They simply point to Google.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poJt4vNPz7s]
3. Don’t Focus on Results
There are still too many organizations that operate under the misconception that working longer hours (night, weekends, through holidays, etc.) shows how dedicated an employee is. Often, employees that don’t put in that “face time” are seen as “not dedicated”. Unfortunately, there is nothing further than the truth.
Simply put, punching a time clock makes no sense for professionals. Their contribution is not the time they spend on their work but the value they create through their knowledge. – Robert C. Pozen Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School
- The recent uptick in employment,
- The strengthening economy
- The vast majority of employees are not engaged at work
All three of these facts indicate that employers need to start thinking of how to KEEP their best employees. What are you doing to make sure your best are not thinking of leaving AND you can hire the best when you need them?
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Anil Saxena is a Senior Consultant and Business Partner with Coffman Organization
He helps organizations create environments that generate repeatable superior results
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Related articles
- Why Yahoo Just Became Obsolete: CEO Marissa Mayer Bans Working from Home (blogher.com)
- Should I Stay or Should I Go Now? (NOT a tribute to The Clash) (techcommgeekmom.com)
- Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer pulls the plug on telecommuting (newsroom.blogs.cnn.com)
Sometimes it is the simple, and dare I say obvious?, things that companies forget. Once you have a reputation for using lay-offs to ‘make budget”, you can forget about your position as an employer of choice.
Hi Anil,
A very interesting post. I landed here because of an email from Tom and happened to read your post. I must say, you touched on a very important and critical topic in today’s atmosphere. Thank you for sharing.
Regards,
Kumar
I agree that 1. and 3. scare of good employees . But can increased productivity and low stress be bad?
No, Dave they can’t be. I was pointing to the fact that many organizations are taking away those things that reduce stress and increase productivity. There is a trend lately, I have seen, where organizations are stopping flex-time or work from home programs.