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4 Signs It is Impossible to Retain Quality Employees

retain quality employees

As any HR professional will tell you, the battle to retain quality employees is an uphill one. In today’s competitive job market, it is understandable to expect employees to be constantly on the lookout for bigger and better opportunities. Changing mindsets and a more vibrant economy naturally mean that employees are no longer looking for a company to settle down with, but rather an organization that is able to fulfill all of their expectations.

Thus in the face of such changing circumstances, HR professionals need to be able to adapt to the changing times in order to ensure that they do not lose out in the war for talent and retain quality employees. In this article, we take a look at some of the telltale signs that your new hire will not be staying for long and how you can deal with him/her and retain such a quality employee.

 

Lack of interest in work

While changing attitudes and a more relaxed workplace may mean that employees can afford to be more laid back in the office in terms of dressing and attitude, an employee who displays a distinct lack of interest in his/her new role is a sure warning sign of trouble on the horizon.

Most of the time, new employees are eager to impress their peers and superiors and as a result, are usually hungry to learn as much as they can in order to prove themselves. Should a new joiner appear to be disinterested or not particularly serious, chances are he/she is only using this role as a temporary stop-gap measure before moving on to another position elsewhere. Thus, we should always set them for success and appraise them with proper performance appraisal and succession planning routes.

 

How to deal with it:

Schedule a short one-to-one meeting with said employee and try to work with them to identify any problems that they may be facing in the office. Some workers may simply be slow starters who require a little assistance or mentoring. Set up training and further implement succession planning to keep them motivated in moving to a succession path.

 

Continually breaking house rules

Another red flag that you should set off alarm bells is the persistent breaking of house rules by an employee. In some situations, some employees feel that they have nothing to lose as they do not intend to remain with the company in the long term. Hence, they become emboldened to flout rules and regulations.

In the long-term, this can be disastrous for the team dynamic as it causes tension among team members and sets a bad precedent for other team members and might even be disastrous in trying to retain quality employees

 

How to deal with it:

Dealing with a rebellious employee is never pleasant and can be a time-consuming affair. HR professionals should gently but firmly confront said employee and point out that such behavior is not accepted. Should the employee persist with such behavior, disciplinary action will need to be taken.

 

Does not work well with others

While it is perfectly normal for a new employee to be slightly reserved for the first several weeks of employment, a new employee who has trouble getting along with other members of the team could be headed for trouble. When an employee has difficulty getting along with his/her colleagues, this is a clear indicator that they are not a good fit for the organization and will most likely not remain with the organization in the long term.

Failing to deal with an employee like this can likely result in said employee becoming toxic which will only serve to further damage the organization and other quality employees

 

How to deal with it:

As mentioned by Jobstreet.com, HR professionals are gatekeepers of an organization and its culture. Hence during the hiring process, hiring managers and HR professionals need to screen potential team members to determine if they would be a good fit for the organization and retain such quality employees

 

Taking additional time off

While there is nothing wrong with taking time off work in order to decompress, when a new joiner begins taking more time off than usual, this can be a cause for concern. New employees are usually reluctant to take leave as they are keen to impress their peers and superiors.

While your new joiner may simply be taking time off to go on a holiday that was previously planned, there may also be the possibility that he/she is unhappy at the workplace or is using his/her vacation time to attend interviews.

 

How to deal with it:

In such a situation, questioning your employee outright can leave him/her with a bad impression and possibly scare off a new employee. Instead, take the indirect approach by speaking to said employee during a casual sit-down session.

Retaining employees is a challenging affair and oftentimes HR professionals may find that they are two steps behind their employees. Hence this is why we at IQ Dynamics have designed a suite of employee management software to retain quality employees and allow you to monitor your employees’ performance while still keeping them engaged and motivated.

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