Kristi Hedges was our Winter Conference keynote speaker a few years back. I subscribe to a monthly post (free) that she writes about Leadership. A month or so ago she wrote about employee retention.  She shared that a study by Harris Interactive showed that 74% of people would consider leaving their jobs today. I guess I am a dinosaur, having stayed with VCE for 29 years!  Obviously there are huge costs, work impacts, and headaches when we lose employees. And studies have continuously shown that money isn’t the top factor in employee happiness.

Kristi suggests 4 strategies that should impact keeping folks around.

• Set realistic expectations from the start – It’s better to be clear from the beginning, and explain the expectations for the job and how to fit within the larger culture. VCE is not the right fit for everyone. Do we do a good job of this when recruiting new employees?
• Show employees that there is room for them to grow – Employee mobility—and making sure our people are aware that it exists— is key to retaining employees. Do we have enough ways for agents and others to move up within the organization?
• Demonstrate the advantages of where they work – What are the perks of working in VCE? Do we do a good job of selling those?
• Let your employees know you trust them – Allowing employees to get the job done the way they see best shows respect for autonomy and decision-making skills. Is this our culture in VCE?

Give us your ideas about how VCE can improve employee retention.

Joe Hunnings