{"id":1343,"date":"2015-03-30T12:51:25","date_gmt":"2015-03-30T17:51:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/?p=1343"},"modified":"2015-04-01T01:37:16","modified_gmt":"2015-04-01T06:37:16","slug":"a-comprehensive-guide-to-staff-retention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/a-comprehensive-guide-to-staff-retention\/","title":{"rendered":"A Comprehensive Guide to Staff Retention"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"employees\"Between 2002 and 2008, I was employed by British Telecom as the Central Regional Sales Director.\u00a0 This afforded me the ability to influence, coach, mentor and deliver results through a staff of over 300; across 2 call centres and Field based consultants.\u00a0 I wrote this article a few years ago but never published it, but I feel it is relevant now as the increase in the economy generally increases attrition rates.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Just to set the scene, my call centres had an attrition rate of almost 37% when I took responsibility in 2006, but following the following principles below, I was able to reduce my annual attrition to below 15% with less than 4% annual absence records.\u00a0 This may sound high to some but for a Call centre environment this is fantastic!<\/span><\/p>\n

Recruitment \u2013 getting it right from the start<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

It is essential when recruiting that the correct competencies and behaviours are defined in order to deliver your business\u2019s requirements.\u00a0 Once the potential applicant\u2019s skills and capabilities have been rigorously tested, you ensure that applicants gain a thorough understanding of the operation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Welcome booklet<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Applicants listen to calls, tour the operational floor, meet current employees, ask questions about the business and take away a welcome booklet that provides them with lots of information about the company.\u00a0 I believe honesty is the best policy, and after the recruitment process applicants have a very clear picture of what it is like to work for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Refer a friend<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I have refined my recruitment and on-boarding process over time and have seen the difference reflected in improved employee retention, especially during the first six months.\u00a0 By taking a rigorous approach and selecting candidates who meet my competencies and behaviours and those people who would be most comfortable working in a call centre environment, I have become a preferred local employer, with many of our employees having been referred to us through our refer-a-friend scheme.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reward \u2013 be innovative and demonstrate commitment<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most often overlooked aspects of helping to reduce attrition is reward, mainly due to the long period of time some schemes can take to show any reasonable return on the investment.\u00a0 However, implementing lifestyle reward products can help to encourage people to remain with your business.<\/span><\/p>\n

Flexible benefits<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A flexible benefit scheme, or flex, is one such product.\u00a0 This can be billed as a lifestyle product allowing the employee to use their salary to purchase benefits relevant to their lifestyle.\u00a0 Whether they are a single parent in need of childcare vouchers or a more mature person who wants private medical cover or a recent graduate who still has itchy feet and wants to buy more holidays, the options and flexibility is there for all to use.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regular incentives are vital when motivating and rewarding people.\u00a0 A clear line of sight between the target and the reward is essential.\u00a0 Is doesn\u2019t matter if the reward is a bottle of wine, a\u00a0 box of chocolates or an LCD TV, people enjoy being rewarded and if they believe the target is achievable everyone will strive to meet it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Extra holiday entitlements<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be afraid of being innovative and bucking the trend.\u00a0 Sometimes being brave and investing more in your people can bring its own rewards.\u00a0 Contact centres generally offer holiday entitlements in line with the statutory minimum. BT was no different, but I recently introduced a discretionary holiday policy over and above their contractual holiday entitlement.\u00a0 This enabled employees to gain up to an additional 7 days\u2019 holiday entitlement based on achieving satisfactory performance and attendance standards and certain service durations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The initial cost of extra holidays was minimal in comparison to the rewards gained from reduced absence, reduced attrition and increased productivity.\u00a0 This also meant that I could control the scheduling of the time off as opposed to reacting to unplanned sickness absence.<\/span><\/p>\n

The discretionary holiday policy is assessed every year to determine if the benefits continue to outweigh the investment.\u00a0 The scheme has been a great success for the last two years and I have seen increases in performance, a reduction in absence and improved attrition rates.\u00a0 Employees view this as a great benefit as it helps them to manage their lives more effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

Call centres are often a very sociable environment where people who work together also socialise together after hours.\u00a0 Employers can tap into this culture by offering rewards for referring a friend.\u00a0 This not only rewards employees for encouraging like-minded friends to apply for jobs but also reduces the amount spent externally on advertising, recruitment agencies, etc. BT offers a referral scheme that increases the amount paid to employees successfully referring large numbers of friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recognition \u2013 find out what people want<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Due to the repetitive and often boring nature of the work in a call centre, having formal development plans in place and regular opportunities for people to progress ensures commitment.\u00a0 When people can see that they have a career and not just a job their perspective often changes and they realise the contribution and difference they can make to the business.\u00a0 These are the leaders of the future and should be recognised accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identify why people stay<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Identifying the reasons why people stay with BT enabled us to tailor our recognition schemes to meet the needs of the employees.\u00a0 BT uses two methods to achieve this; my VOICE and my VIEW.<\/span><\/p>\n

Employee forum (my VOICE)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2006, the my VOICE employee forum was created and has been successfully used to engage with employees.\u00a0 As well as the many topics discussed on a regular basis, the forum provides an ideal source of information about the needs and wants of employees.\u00a0 Often BT shares new initiatives with the my VOICE forum to determine whether it will work but also to gain buy-in and support for launches.<\/span><\/p>\n

Employee satisfaction survey (my VIEW)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The employee satisfaction survey my VIEW has generated much information about recognition over the years and has been used effectively to help the business shape its programmes.\u00a0 For example, BT launched two new schemes, new starter of the quarter and employee of the quarter, both schemes form part of the employee of the year scheme.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pillow moments<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

We understand that people prefer to be recognised in different ways and we try to develop initiatives that reflect this. Every Friday is dress-down day and pillow moments allow an employee to have either an extra hour in bed or an early leave on their birthday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank You cards<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

We issue Thank You cards to recognise above and beyond contributions and Santa visits the office in the 12 days before Christmas. Our employees really appreciate our efforts to say thank you in so many different ways.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our current attrition rate has reduced by 20 per cent over the last three years.\u00a0\u00a0 Absence levels have been below 4 per cent over the same period and over a third of employees have in excess of five years\u2019 service with the company.<\/span><\/p>\n

The leader\u2019s role in retaining staff<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Sales-focused organisations, particularly call centres, are known for suffering from unacceptably high attrition rates of 20%.\u00a0\u00a0 A recent Call Centre Helper article revealed alarming retention facts including:<\/span><\/p>\n