Employment Fertilizer
The MetLife survey indicated that nearly a third of all employees are at least testing the waters in the employment market.
I am assuming that you have made it past the logic that the job market is ridiculously tough and your employees are just lucky to have a job, and are now interested in retaining them...
at least the good ones.
So...
what are employees looking for when considering a job change? What brand of fertilizer makes the grass look greener? I think it boils down to a handful of basic things, but the order and level of importance can very with each candidate.
1.
Money...
duh! I have heard a lot of people, even in my industry, place money towards the bottom of their lists, typically second to last.
Why? Get with it folks, with the exception of a few people out there doing the kind of work that we actually love to do money is a big deal.
When you ask someone to work for you or your company, you are asking them to trade the only truly non-renewable resource an individual has, time, for what...
I would say it's for the resources to live the way they want.
My dad once told me something about the relationship between your work and your pay.
He talked about two scales, one represented your income and the other your happiness; unless you're work is in itself rewarding, the income scale must balance things out, or you have a problem.
2.
Well, this is only kind of number two, because I would argue that it is really an extension of the number one reason people make a move.
Opportunity.
Career driven employees (the kind you want) are looking to advance their career.
This is seen through things such as a promotion, increasing responsibility, managing others, decision making authority, etc.
What we often miss is why these are important.
Without the money, why would anyone want to do these things? It may not be the amount of money today, but it is about the ability to earn more at some point and to change the trajectory of their career.
3.
Security and Stability are third, especially after the last few years of uncertainty in the market.
Many people have gone through a stretch of unemployment, and have possibly drained a portion of their savings (see where this is going...
that's right, stability is also, at its root, money).
Many, especially in finance and accounting positions, can see the strength of a company that the public may not have access to and this can motivate someone through fear of loss rather than the expectation of a gain.
4.
Location, Location, Location.
Only slightly having to do with money, depending on gas prices, location can feed into things like perception of status, convenience and safety.
Let's face it; we know the desirable and non-desirable areas to work, and those in-between.
In my hometown of Kansas City, the College and Metcalf corridor and Tiffany Springs up north are prime suburban commerce zones, aside from the shopping; the Plaza is loaded with law firms...
because of the perception of the location.
There are plenty more factors that, in my humble opinion, play into career choices, but these are the big ones.
Medical plans and other insurance packages are looked at more closely right now with changes going on in healthcare coverage.
Good luck in retaining and attracting top employees.
Now that I have you thinking about attracting or retaining your best employees, how do you do it with a shoestring budget? I certainly don't have all of the answers, but this link is a start.
I am assuming that you have made it past the logic that the job market is ridiculously tough and your employees are just lucky to have a job, and are now interested in retaining them...
at least the good ones.
So...
what are employees looking for when considering a job change? What brand of fertilizer makes the grass look greener? I think it boils down to a handful of basic things, but the order and level of importance can very with each candidate.
1.
Money...
duh! I have heard a lot of people, even in my industry, place money towards the bottom of their lists, typically second to last.
Why? Get with it folks, with the exception of a few people out there doing the kind of work that we actually love to do money is a big deal.
When you ask someone to work for you or your company, you are asking them to trade the only truly non-renewable resource an individual has, time, for what...
I would say it's for the resources to live the way they want.
My dad once told me something about the relationship between your work and your pay.
He talked about two scales, one represented your income and the other your happiness; unless you're work is in itself rewarding, the income scale must balance things out, or you have a problem.
2.
Well, this is only kind of number two, because I would argue that it is really an extension of the number one reason people make a move.
Opportunity.
Career driven employees (the kind you want) are looking to advance their career.
This is seen through things such as a promotion, increasing responsibility, managing others, decision making authority, etc.
What we often miss is why these are important.
Without the money, why would anyone want to do these things? It may not be the amount of money today, but it is about the ability to earn more at some point and to change the trajectory of their career.
3.
Security and Stability are third, especially after the last few years of uncertainty in the market.
Many people have gone through a stretch of unemployment, and have possibly drained a portion of their savings (see where this is going...
that's right, stability is also, at its root, money).
Many, especially in finance and accounting positions, can see the strength of a company that the public may not have access to and this can motivate someone through fear of loss rather than the expectation of a gain.
4.
Location, Location, Location.
Only slightly having to do with money, depending on gas prices, location can feed into things like perception of status, convenience and safety.
Let's face it; we know the desirable and non-desirable areas to work, and those in-between.
In my hometown of Kansas City, the College and Metcalf corridor and Tiffany Springs up north are prime suburban commerce zones, aside from the shopping; the Plaza is loaded with law firms...
because of the perception of the location.
There are plenty more factors that, in my humble opinion, play into career choices, but these are the big ones.
Medical plans and other insurance packages are looked at more closely right now with changes going on in healthcare coverage.
Good luck in retaining and attracting top employees.
Now that I have you thinking about attracting or retaining your best employees, how do you do it with a shoestring budget? I certainly don't have all of the answers, but this link is a start.
Source...