Question: I own a small manufacturing company. I try to pay competitive salaries, and I offer good benefits. The problem is that I can't seem to keep new employees.

        My longtime staff is loyal, but it seems that as soon as we hire someone, they leave us for a higher paying job.

        We should be expanding, but I don't have the staff to cover the work I currently have. Even more important, quality suffers, and we frequently don't meet deadlines because we're not staffed correctly.

        Any recommendations? — Paulette

Answer: In today's market, jobs that used to be considered prime are staying open for months, while new hires demand outrageous signing bonuses and benefits formerly reserved for executives. Because of this phenomenon, many organizations have researched just what will make an employee stay with a company.

        You might be surprised to learn that you already have the most important factor employees look for: respect. I say that because, in today's employee-driven marketplace, it's unlikely that even your long-term employees would be loyal without that ingredient. My advice is to emphasize the respect and caring your organization offers. You can do this by following these Dale Carnegie Training tactics:

        • Begin with praise and honest appreciation. Yes, maybe they're just doing what you're paying them to do, but they can still be praised for hard work, commitment, and attention to quality.

        • Sincerely make them feel important every day. Today's employees know how valuable their time and skills are, but too often once we hire someone we forget to remind him how valuable he is to the company

        • Be sympathetic with their ideas and desires. Every individual has unique goals and dreams. Find out about those desires, and do what you can to help the employee meet them. A younger employee might be saving to buy a house; offer him an hour with your personal investment adviser as a service anniversary present. Other employees might want more time with their children; encourage supervisors to look into flexible work schedules, including more part-time positions.

        • Talk in terms of their interests. Many company presidents call employee meetings to talk about growth and profits, assuming the employees value these things. Many workers, however, leave these meetings with the feeling that if they work harder, other people see the benefits, not them.

        Instead, talk about the company's future in terms of the employees. More earnings might open up more opportunities for training or other desirable benefits. Expansion means more people will be getting promoted.

        I can't guarantee that this will completely solve your problem. Young people especially haven't had enough life experience to realize how much more important respect is than a few extra dollars on the paycheck. However, I can tell you that the companies with the best employee-retention records diligently follow these strategies.
       

        If you have any business- or workplace-related questions, visit www.dalecarnegie.com or e-mail us at carnegiecoach@dalecarnegie.com. The writer is executive vice president, Dale Carnegie Training.

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