How can employee exits be controlled?

Today, many companies are increasingly advertising job offers. It is understood that the cost of living has been increasing, which might be forcing skilled workers to find better options elsewhere. How can an organisation retain staff? Sarah

Dear Sarah,
Employee departures is one of the key issues that many organisations are grappling with today. Getting the right people with the right skills in the right places is a costly venture. This precisely explains why retention measures should be prioritised.
As a manager, whether it is a result of your own making or due to external factors, you can control employee exodus. You can start by assessing what makes people leave and find solutions by measuring the impact of the exits.
Cognisant of the fact that unplanned resignations can be costly, it is advisable that common causes of staff turnover are assessed for meaningful solutions. In most cases, many of those who leave do so because of pay.
Although good pay motivates people to stay, it is not the sole reason for departures much as low pay also limits retention. Some people, for instance, can leave due to poor leadership, job insecurity, limited space for growth and poor working conditions, which management keeps ignoring.
You can control this through approaches such as regularly consulting staff, succession plan, replacement charts, and performance management. This promotes employee engagement where they can feel cared for and supported to work even harder.
Appreciating employees is also very important. Here, key performers are identified and rewarded as per the company’s reward system.

Isaiah Kitimbo
HR Specialist & Journalist
Monitor Publications Limited
[email protected]