"People in the workplace are like mobile telephones. They're part of the new breed of 21st century life, they're a versatile product of the modern technological era, are masters of applying such technology in ingenious, practical ways and are global communicators. Sadly they reach their use-by date all too quickly and need to be replaced by something more relevant to one's changing needs. And the employees are just as bad!"
Everybody in business keeps telling me how difficult it is to keep good staff. I train them up and then they leave, is the ever-so-common comment I get - especially in relation to younger staff. Often those younger staff say how much they enjoyed working there but feel they have other aims in life and need to move on. Employers are beginning to think its better to employ older people because they are seen as being more stable and more committed to an employer.
Of course, older people are going to eventually die out and business will just have to come to terms with the desires of the new breed who move from job to job, experience to experience and place to place. Perhaps it will change if and when they get kids and a mortgage but don't bet on it.
So what's the answer? Think about when you buy something from the shop these days. Obsolescence is built into almost everything. As soon as something goes wrong, or a newer and better model becomes available, you throw it away and buy a new one. We live in an age of impermanence. Perhaps we should begin to see staff employment in the same way.
Is that a bit of a defeatist attitude? you might ask. The point I am making is that when times change, you need to change how you approach problems. We're always told to look for the positives and the benefits of everything. What are the positives of a rapid turnover of staff? Constantly fresh thinking, new ideas, intellectual property built from the experience of working for a variety of employers, etc etc.
Yes I appreciate there are major costs involved in frequent staff turnover but I'm not sure anything else is going to substantially slow those costs even now . But in the bigger picture, perhaps we need to put the costs into a more positive perspective.
People will always want to be appreciated for what they can best contribute - to work, to family and to life. The companies that have their people management culture right, including a strong work/personal life harmony policy, not only keep good staff, they have people fighting each other to get in to the organization.
November 2007 |
