First of all, this question has nothing to do with antacids.   My question relates to the Human Capital Resources in your business.  How do you spell relief when it comes to hiring and retaining your employees?  All too often employers make one or more of these Top 10 Hiring Mistakes:*

1. Not knowing what you are looking for
2. Inadequate interview preparation
3. Poor selection of interview questions
4. Hiring too quickly
5. No awareness of the halo effect
6. Hiring people just like you
7. Raising standards unrealistically
8. Using only one interviewer
9. Not checking references thoroughly
10. No interview process in place

So let’s assume you’ve made it past the hiring hurdle. You’ve done your homework and have a system in place which has taken care of the mistakes listed above.  You have an enthusiastic group of employees.  Now how do you ensure that they don’t quit?  How do you ensure that they work well together?  How do you keep them engaged and empowered? 

Employee retention should be as much a priority as goods and services or production and has a great impact on the bottom line.  Employee retention is something every business needs to take seriously!  The cost of employee turnover is staggering.  There are many factors involved besides replacing the employee.  Training time usually ranges from 2-6 months, sometimes even longer.  In small businesses the trainer is usually another employee, so that adds a component of lost revenue to the business during the training period.  It is all to easy to absorb the cost of replacing an employee since it is not a tangible line item for a budget, when in fact, the largest over looked factor is the time and energy involved for the owner who is now back to the drawing board and many times beating themselves up or self indulging in a pity party about an employee quitting.   

“Any organization can develop people. It either forms them or deforms them.” Peter Drucker

Employee training and development is essential to your employee retention strategy.  I am an expert in employee work habits, utilizing employee strengths and enhancing team communications. I have various programs available which can help you ensure you’ve got employees with you for the long haul.  For more information, click here and complete the contact information to schedule a complimentary meeting to see how I can support your business and help you empower your employees and increase your bottom line.

*Top Ten Hiring Mistakes provided by Nancy Reed SPHR, Owner, Express Employment Professionals in Brownsville and Harlingen, Texas, www.expresspros.com