Hi, I am an HR professional facing problems in retaining employees. Every two to three months, we need to recruit a new employee, and in the process, we are losing quality outputs since we need to train the new joiners again. The main issue is that those leaving are not giving any prior intimation; suddenly, one day he/she will be absent with an excuse, and the next day I have to receive a call saying, "I am not coming from today."
From India, Kolkata
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From India, Kolkata
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Dear Dipkumar,
To retain your employees, you need to control attrition. To control attrition, you need to conduct attrition analysis. Have you done that? If not, you may refer to my following reply:
https://www.citehr.com/519562-employee-turnover-report.html#post2211229
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
+91-9900155394
From India, Bangalore
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8220To retain your employees, you need to control attrition. To control attrition, you need to conduct attrition analysis. Have you done that? If not, you may refer to my following reply:
https://www.citehr.com/519562-employee-turnover-report.html#post2211229
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
+91-9900155394
From India, Bangalore
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Hi Dipkumar,
I agree with the above opinions. The first thing you should do is find out the reasons your employees left to solve this problem. I think it results from your company issues that make your employees can't stand longer. You should identify the problems in your company policy and working conditions, including their direct manager.
Hope that you will soon get a good result. You can find "15 signs your employee wants to quit" here to prevent.
From Vietnam, Hanoi
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I agree with the above opinions. The first thing you should do is find out the reasons your employees left to solve this problem. I think it results from your company issues that make your employees can't stand longer. You should identify the problems in your company policy and working conditions, including their direct manager.
Hope that you will soon get a good result. You can find "15 signs your employee wants to quit" here to prevent.
From Vietnam, Hanoi
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Dear Dipkumar,
The industry in which the attrition is high is not known from your posting. Kindly find out whether the employees are leaving more from the overall industry or from a particular department within your organization. If the rate of employees leaving your organization is high, it indicates a failure in the policy to retain employees. On the other hand, if the attrition rate is high in a specific department, it suggests that the department needs to be closely monitored and improved.
Please determine the specific areas where the employee turnover is high. Thank you.
From India, Arcot
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The industry in which the attrition is high is not known from your posting. Kindly find out whether the employees are leaving more from the overall industry or from a particular department within your organization. If the rate of employees leaving your organization is high, it indicates a failure in the policy to retain employees. On the other hand, if the attrition rate is high in a specific department, it suggests that the department needs to be closely monitored and improved.
Please determine the specific areas where the employee turnover is high. Thank you.
From India, Arcot
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Hello Dilip Kumar,
Learned members have provided you with valuable material to guide your approach on the issue. However, it is not known which sector your industry belongs to and what kind of employees are leaving. Is it only the valued employees who are leaving, or is it anybody or everybody? This information may help you embark upon more specific initiatives to tackle the problem of attrition, as there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem. You need to study the causes for attrition in your company, either through exit interviews, stay-in interviews, surveys on employees' happiness, etc., and design a custom-made solution to your problem.
I have a different objective in responding to your query. You seem to be anguished, agonized, and annoyed at employees leaving so frequently and that too without notice. Your anguish, agony, and anger are not without reason, as it costs you (your company) in terms of money, time, energy, and not to mention disruptions in work. It is quite a challenge. My attempt is to mitigate this anxiety by bringing you in touch with market realities in employment, job trends, and some suggestions that I consider may be of help.
You need to understand that you are not alone in the market struggling painfully to retain employees, especially the valued ones. You have plenty of company for solace. Attrition is afflicting industries across sectors, with some industries more afflicted than others. It is like a common cold sparing no one. The reasons for this are not difficult to speculate. One reason is that the traditional concept of job security associated with 'one job for a lifetime,' which was so cherished by the older generations, has become obsolete. The new generation sees job security in the new-found concept of 'job hopping.' This shift is due to more job opportunities being open to people, with business expansion aided by globalization and technological advancements, as well as the startup trend gripping young entrepreneurs. Additionally, the younger generation is always seeking opportunities for quick learning and fast growth, believing that, at least in matters of employment, a rolling stone gathers a lot of mass. Therefore, attrition is a reality staring employers in the face, and they must accept it to deal with it.
If it is the rainy season, it rains. That is an inevitable consequence of nature. You cannot stop it from raining because you do not want to get wet. At the same time, you cannot remain indoors for days on end to avoid the rain. What you can do is either carry an umbrella or wear a raincoat to avoid getting wet so that you can attend to your duties, even when it is raining. Similarly, there is no point in being in agony and anguish over the issue. You need to be proactive and initiate the required action to deal with it.
Firstly, find out the causes of attrition and design suitable policies and solutions to handle it.
Secondly, you can frame succession planning by designing skill development and training programs for existing employees so that they can fill the need for any position for which you would otherwise hire from outside.
Thirdly, try to see the positive side of attrition, as it often brings in new blood and new ideas.
Fourthly, many employees leave the company without notice due to the fear that the company may create hurdles in their relieving process or that the new company may not wait for them to complete the notice period. Therefore, design a severance policy with a notice period and ensure all employees are aware of it. Impress upon new hires, either during one-on-one sessions or common sessions during their onboarding process, explaining the severance policy, the costs incurred by the company in hiring them, and their reciprocal obligation to honor their commitment to the company. If an employee must leave for an inevitable reason, the company respects their right to their career but they must give proper notice.
Fifthly, maintain a policy on disciplinary rules that address unauthorized absenteeism with procedures and penalties. Make new hires aware of this policy and explain that anyone who stops attending the office without prior notice may face disciplinary action. Though disciplinary action may not bring back an employee who has already left, it may deter existing employees from leaving without notice.
I hope this helps.
B. Saikumar
HR & Labour Law Advisor
From India, Mumbai
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Learned members have provided you with valuable material to guide your approach on the issue. However, it is not known which sector your industry belongs to and what kind of employees are leaving. Is it only the valued employees who are leaving, or is it anybody or everybody? This information may help you embark upon more specific initiatives to tackle the problem of attrition, as there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem. You need to study the causes for attrition in your company, either through exit interviews, stay-in interviews, surveys on employees' happiness, etc., and design a custom-made solution to your problem.
I have a different objective in responding to your query. You seem to be anguished, agonized, and annoyed at employees leaving so frequently and that too without notice. Your anguish, agony, and anger are not without reason, as it costs you (your company) in terms of money, time, energy, and not to mention disruptions in work. It is quite a challenge. My attempt is to mitigate this anxiety by bringing you in touch with market realities in employment, job trends, and some suggestions that I consider may be of help.
You need to understand that you are not alone in the market struggling painfully to retain employees, especially the valued ones. You have plenty of company for solace. Attrition is afflicting industries across sectors, with some industries more afflicted than others. It is like a common cold sparing no one. The reasons for this are not difficult to speculate. One reason is that the traditional concept of job security associated with 'one job for a lifetime,' which was so cherished by the older generations, has become obsolete. The new generation sees job security in the new-found concept of 'job hopping.' This shift is due to more job opportunities being open to people, with business expansion aided by globalization and technological advancements, as well as the startup trend gripping young entrepreneurs. Additionally, the younger generation is always seeking opportunities for quick learning and fast growth, believing that, at least in matters of employment, a rolling stone gathers a lot of mass. Therefore, attrition is a reality staring employers in the face, and they must accept it to deal with it.
If it is the rainy season, it rains. That is an inevitable consequence of nature. You cannot stop it from raining because you do not want to get wet. At the same time, you cannot remain indoors for days on end to avoid the rain. What you can do is either carry an umbrella or wear a raincoat to avoid getting wet so that you can attend to your duties, even when it is raining. Similarly, there is no point in being in agony and anguish over the issue. You need to be proactive and initiate the required action to deal with it.
Firstly, find out the causes of attrition and design suitable policies and solutions to handle it.
Secondly, you can frame succession planning by designing skill development and training programs for existing employees so that they can fill the need for any position for which you would otherwise hire from outside.
Thirdly, try to see the positive side of attrition, as it often brings in new blood and new ideas.
Fourthly, many employees leave the company without notice due to the fear that the company may create hurdles in their relieving process or that the new company may not wait for them to complete the notice period. Therefore, design a severance policy with a notice period and ensure all employees are aware of it. Impress upon new hires, either during one-on-one sessions or common sessions during their onboarding process, explaining the severance policy, the costs incurred by the company in hiring them, and their reciprocal obligation to honor their commitment to the company. If an employee must leave for an inevitable reason, the company respects their right to their career but they must give proper notice.
Fifthly, maintain a policy on disciplinary rules that address unauthorized absenteeism with procedures and penalties. Make new hires aware of this policy and explain that anyone who stops attending the office without prior notice may face disciplinary action. Though disciplinary action may not bring back an employee who has already left, it may deter existing employees from leaving without notice.
I hope this helps.
B. Saikumar
HR & Labour Law Advisor
From India, Mumbai
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As professionals, we can provide hundreds of ideas. However, certain decisions must originate from your management or gain acceptance from them for your proposals and ideas to retain talent. Will they listen to you and implement the ideas and suggestions we share here? There is a saying: "The bottleneck for the bottle is always at the top." As long as a bottleneck exists in some form, there won't be a free flow and acceptance of ideas and suggestions. Even the retention strategy you implement today may become outdated in a year's time as people's expectations constantly change. It's akin to taking a bath; you need to do it daily! Similarly, you must keep evolving your strategy. Even in top IT companies like Infosys, CTS, TCS, the attrition rate is around 20 to 25%. You cannot simply wish it away. This is what the younger generation seeks - instant gratification, rapid growth, and quick burnout by the age of 40. Therefore, if you aim to retain employees and at least minimize attrition, consider providing the benefits that employees desire. An Organizational Climate Survey (OCS) can help pinpoint areas to focus on to curb attrition, serving as a starting point for your organization to introspect. From an HR perspective, one person leaving the organization equates to three persons joining in terms of the lead time HR needs for onboarding a new candidate. There's considerable effort involved in screening, identifying, interviewing, and accepting a new candidate. Hence, it's more efficient to retain an existing employee than to recruit a new one.
Best wishes
From India, Bengaluru
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Best wishes
From India, Bengaluru
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Mr. Dipak,
You have mentioned that employees are leaving quite often, and as a result, you have to recruit replacements. However, you did not mention the reasons for their departure. Everybody will not have the same reasons or problems. As an HR professional, you should analyze the situation where you are failing to retain employees. Offer good salaries, facilities, a positive working environment, and whatever else is needed for the establishment. Despite these efforts, if employees are still leaving, conduct exit interviews to discover the reasons. Evaluate these reasons along with other issues and find solutions.
The query you have raised lacks supporting reasons and seems hypothetical.
Adoni Suguresh
Labour Laws Consultant
From India, Bidar
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You have mentioned that employees are leaving quite often, and as a result, you have to recruit replacements. However, you did not mention the reasons for their departure. Everybody will not have the same reasons or problems. As an HR professional, you should analyze the situation where you are failing to retain employees. Offer good salaries, facilities, a positive working environment, and whatever else is needed for the establishment. Despite these efforts, if employees are still leaving, conduct exit interviews to discover the reasons. Evaluate these reasons along with other issues and find solutions.
The query you have raised lacks supporting reasons and seems hypothetical.
Adoni Suguresh
Labour Laws Consultant
From India, Bidar
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Hi, Sai Consultant has rightly pointed out the ways to understand and minimize the attrition issue. I agree on various other points mentioned in the post by all other respected members. Yet I dare to comment that it is basically the company management who needs to work out on retention policy. Secondly, if the employees' category is from the unorganized sector or lower-level employees, then how their welfare is being looked after. Training, welfare, growth prospects, development opportunities in the organization are the various factors that will require a close and meticulous study in order to retain employees.
From India, Vadodara
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From India, Vadodara
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Retaining Employees in Challenging Times.pdf
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