Greetings from Gardner Resources Consulting, LLC

After many difficult months, consumer confidence is up and the employment market continues to improve. This month we explore ideas to keep your most talented and productive employees from exploring the job market.

Article: Retaining your Best Employees

How to keep and obtain the most from your most talented people
Now that companies are hiring again your employees may be thinking about their next move -- but turnover is not inevitable.

Let's say you're contacted by a company who believes they can offer you a more promising career path, a better work-life balance or opportunities to work on a project that really ignites your interests. If that company were to make you an offer today, would you take it?

Now ponder that same question, but this time, consider how your employees might respond. With the recession winding down and industry hiring starting to pick up, you may find that this hypothetical scenario is not so hypothetical.

The labor market is on the upswing
Everyone welcomes a rebounding economy but no one wants to lose their valuable personnel as hiring picks up. We have learned from past experience that when the economy starts to expand and the job market improves, turnover among professional staff and especially professional technical staff can accelerate quickly. Companies that spent the past year and a half focused on cost control are reigniting their quest for talent. They're engaging recruiters to fill key positions and shifting their attention to talent acquisition and protection. Progressive organizations recognize that people are their greatest asset and that their competitive edge depends on attracting and retaining key employees amidst a strengthening job market.

Turnover is not inevitable
Your valuable technical employees may be testing the labor market, but that doesn't have to mean they'll leave. There are a set of characteristics that make an organization an attractive place to work. By effectively managing these factors you can reduce the likelihood that your employees will leap for other opportunities and you'll enhance your perception as a desirable workplace. As a leader of your company, or workgroup, you can put strategies in place that can make it much more difficult for your top performers to be lured away. Here are some of the most important criteria for maintaining employee loyalty and protecting yourself and your company from “economic rebound turnover”.
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