Is employee retention & engagement part of your plan for 2015?

Dear CEO, line leader and team lead:
As the year winds down and you plan for next year in your organisation you probably have had budget review sessions, thought of roles you would hire to fill, the business areas you would want to develop, the skills you would want to develop within your organisation or team, the trainings you and your team members are looking to explore and other such important focus areas.
Of course, successful businesses and teams plan ahead because planning is critical. However, have you considered employee retention and engagement a part of your plan for 2015?
A quick story….Three fish lived in a pond. One was named “Plan ahead”, another was “Think fast” and the third was called “Wait and see”. One day they heard a fisherman say he would be going to cast his net in their pond the next day.
Plan ahead said,” I am swimming down the river tonight”.
Think fast said, “I am sure I will come up with a plan”.
Wait and See lazily said, “I just can’t think about it now”.
When the fisherman cast his net, “Plan ahead” was able to escape from his nets. But “Think fast” and “Wait and see” were caught by the fisherman. “Think fast” quickly rolled his belly up and pretended to be dead. “Oh, this fish is no good!” said the fisherman and threw him safely back into the water. However, “Wait and see” ended up in the fish market.
Food for thought: Which ‘fish’ are you where employee retention and engagement is concerned in your organisation?
Be like wise military generals who plan for war before one starts. Think about the key areas you are going to do, change, start or stop in your organisation that will help employee retention and engagement.
Remember, retention and engagement is a joint responsibility between line leaders & HR. It is a culture that must be created and owned running from top to bottom in an organisation. As you think of maximising profit, remember that studies have proven that it costs a lot more to replace an employee than to engage those that are with you now.
Thank you for being a part of our HR revolution efforts by reading and putting into action the insights we’ve been sharing. Happy New Year in advance.

Ngozi Adebiyi

is the lead consultant at OutsideIn HR. Our focus is practical interventions that address the challenges of businesses today. We specialise in HR Business Partnering, Engagement & Retention with the goal of “Revolutionising HR in Nigeria”. Ngozi@outsideinHRng.com