Make Employee Retention an Integrated Part of Your Strategy

Make Employee Retention an Integrated Part of Your Strategy

April 27th, 2012 by Skywalk Group Categories: News

If your organization is focused on growth, profitability, customer loyalty, new product introductions, employee engagement and shareholder value to name a few, you must also be in the process of talent management. This is the fabric of a strategy that allows you to not only develop new leaders, but also retain the exceptional talent you hire. It is a tightly woven process and what you do to retain talent must be threaded throughout all you do.

Retaining Talent is Essential to Delivering Business Value

The fine art of retaining talent has an effect on your ability to deliver business value. A survey by McKinsey & Company asked senior executives of global companies to rank obstacles that prevent them from having talent management strategies. Among the most critical as defined by executives:

54%- Senior managers don’t spend enough time on talent management
52%- Line managers not sufficiently committed to people development
51%- Silos discourage collaboration, resource sharing
50%- Line managers unwilling to differentiate high, low performance
47%- Senior leaders do not align talent management and business strategies

Here’s one more statistic for you. A recent study shows that 85% of HR executives state that the single greatest challenge they have in managing the workforce is their organization’s ability to compete for talent.

So, if your organization is one of those facing obstacles with talent management and you are concerned about your ability to compete for talent, then you seriously need to consider a plan to train your organization on how to effectively retain your best talent.

Retaining Talent is Woven into Your Organization’s Financial Performance

Most people can understand that turnover is costly in replacement expense, but it also impacts productivity when other team members see good people leaving the organization.

Picture this scenario: Ray was an executive for a hotel chain that had lack-luster performance. Attrition of leadership was high in the organization. He decided to conduct an analysis of risk factors in retaining top talent. He identified new strategies and tactics such as creating an emerging leaders program, training future leaders and providing more on-the-job training for line supervisors. As a result, they have recruited better talent and, more importantly, have retained that talent which has resulted in the value of their stock growing by more than 50% in the last five years.

Reap What You Sow – Get Started Today

By training your managers, you will help them realize the significant leverage they have to combat turnover in the organization. You will be giving them the tools they need to create a proactive and productive environment that values key talent.

Managers need to understand that they, by all means, need to be concerned with team member retention and how to identify individuals at risk. Are your managers able to:

Describe the scope, severity and cost of attrition?
Determine the risk of attrition for each team member?
Identify which retention factors motivate each team member?
Increase each team member’s engagement and commitment?
Build and implement an effective Retention Action Plan for their entire team?

If you answered no to any of these questions, you may need to start thinking about a new game plan around retention.

Skywalk Group Earns 2012 Fastest Growing Company Honor

April 26th, 2012 by Skywalk Group Categories: News, Skywalk Group

Skywalk Group has been selected as one of twenty fastest growing companies for 2012 by the Corridor Business Journal.

Corridor Business Journal’s Fastest Growing Companies is a program that identifies the region’s most dynamic companies that have made significant contribution to the strength of our economy. Nominated companies are ranked according to revenue growth over a three-year period, both dollar and percentage increases are taken into consideration. The rankings of the top 20 companies will be announced at the May 22, 2012 Fastest Growing Companies Breakfast.

Last year, Skywalk Group earned the number 3 spot on the Corridor Business Journal’s Fastest Growing Companies list.

Skywalk Group is a professional services organization specializing in human resources management, recruiting, and organizational effectiveness. The leadership team and professional staff at Skywalk Group have extensive human resources and executive experience providing critical human resources strategy and support for companies of all sizes.

Skywalk Group Announces New Workshops for 2012

January 30th, 2012 by Skywalk Group Categories: News

Skywalk Group, the number three ranked Fastest Growing Company (Corridor Business Journal) in 2011, is pleased to announce the addition of two new public workshop offerings for 2012.

Tim Sieck, Skywalk Group Partner and organizational development expert, states, “Over the last three years, we have worked with a large number of local businesses. As part of that process, we have identified a disconnect between employee engagement, the manager’s role in the process, and the needs of today’s organization. These new offerings are designed to address these gaps.”

The first public workshop, The Truth About Becoming a Manager, will be held February 22, 2012 from 8:30am – 12:30pm. This half-day workshop is designed to help employee’s assess and prepare for becoming a manager. Sieck adds, “All too often, companies take a sink or swim approach when it comes to hiring managers. We want to assist employees by giving them insights and information about what being a manager is all about.”

The second new training option, The Engaged Employee: Individual Development Planning Workshop, will be held on June 20, 2012 from
9am – 5pm. This full-day workshop is designed to show employees that when they are actively involved in and own their development process, they not only experience individual growth but also positively impact the organization.

Organizational Change Doesn’t Come in a Brown Paper Bag

January 5th, 2012 by Skywalk Group Categories: business, Business Coaching, Company Training, Employee Development, Human Resources Management, Management Development, News, Skywalk Group, Supervisory Training

The new year has a way of making us all think about change. We create new goals for ourselves. Fitness goals. Diet goals. Career goals. At the same time that we are making our personal goals for the new year, senior leadership at companies across the nation are doing the same thing. Although the focus may be slightly different, i.e. how they can capture more market share, reduce costs, create a succession plan, or increase employee engagement, the end result will likely involve some type of change.

How Successful are People at Making Lasting Changes

More often than not, people do not stick to their New Year’s resolution for very long. In one study over two years, about one in five people (20%) were able to keep to their resolution. On the other hand, three in five (60%) dropped their resolution within 6 months. In a recently reported British study, 22% of people reported that they were “very successful” in keeping their resolutions. Source: WAIBTV. Those percentages are pretty dismal when you think about it. And those are your own personal changes that YOU want to make.

Now, imagine you are the CEO of a company. Your company has 200 employees in 3 different locations and you have just decided to purchase another company in a fourth location. How likely is it that you can successfully implement this large-scale organizational change and get everyone moving in the same direction, working towards the same goals? There is no sugar coating this answer. It is going to be very difficult and require a tremendous amount of energy, patience, communication, and outstanding leadership skills in order to make this happen. And you can bet that energy, patience, communication, and leadership abilities DO NOT fit neatly inside a brown paper bag.

Change in a Brown Paper Bag

You may be wondering what that means. Too many companies try to implement organizational change through a “brown bag lunch” process. Has this happened in your company?

“Our managers need leadership training. Let’s schedule some brown bag lunches and teach them how to be better leaders!”

“Our health insurance costs are increasing. Let’s have a wellness speaker come in for a brown bag lunch presentation!”

“Our employees say they aren’t engaged and satisfied. Let’s have a company-wide monthly meeting over lunch and motivate them!”

Steps to Effective Organizational Change

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if all of a company’s problems could be solved through the brown bag lunch process? Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Organizations who successfully implement change do the following things:

Collaborate. Share ideas with employees early in the process to get feedback and buy-in.
Communicate, communicate, communicate. There can never be too much communication when change is involved.
Be transparent. Not only about the change but also that you may not always know the answers. Even with the best plan in place, there are unknowns.
Be compassionate. Change is a process for everyone. Even for those who embrace it. Help people move towards acceptance. That process will be different for each individual.
Allow and demand questions. Employees should have questions. Part of helping them move towards acceptance involves education and inclusion.
Celebrate. Make a big deal about the little things along the way as well as celebrating major milestones.

Smart Technology Impacts HR Policies

November 2nd, 2011 by Skywalk Group Categories: Human Resources Management, News

We recently blogged about how employee’s using cell phones can cause dangerous and distracted driving. On a continuation of the topic, let’s discuss the mobile platform and how it is changing the workplace. While the ability to obtain email from our mobile device has been around for years now, thanks to web-enabling and mobile applications, the cell phone / smart phone has become a PC in your pocket.

Technology is increasing the need for real-time communication and streamlining work processes. Technological advances have allowed employers to embrace the use of modern tools & various mobile communication devices as a benefit to increasing productivity demands. Employees seeking a healthy work/life balance and embracing increased employer flexibility have taken advantage of technological tools to increase their accessibility, particularly when off-site or after hours.

These changes in the employment landscape have caused legal commentators to worry about potential litigation stemming from the use of mobile communication devices, including claims ranging from employee privacy infringement to complaints of unpaid overtime. Hence, the ever-increasing need to revisit, revise or develop a Cell Phone / Smart Phone Policy.

Now, where do to begin? Check out the 11 Factors to Include in a Cell Phone Policy.

There are two reasons HR professionals should be involved in making decisions about mobile policies:

The devices directly impact workers, and the mobile strategy affects all aspects of the company.
Developing policies and informal training will set the stage for good mobile practices.

For a free sample of a cell phone policy, please email the HR experts at Skywalk Group.

11 Key Factors to include in a Cell Phone Policy

November 2nd, 2011 by Skywalk Group Categories: Human Resources Management, News

Are you thinking about putting together a cell phone or electronic communications policy for your organization? Or are you asking yourself if your organization needs a cell phone or an electronic communications policy? There is no doubt that smart technology is impacting HR policies in organizations.

11 Key Factors to include in a Cell Phone Policy

Company expectations.
Harassment and discrimination policies.
Wage and hour policies that may impact compliance with state and federal law.
Company provided equipment.
Monitoring of equipment usage.
Trade secrets protection.
Customer, employer, and employee privacy.
Management of electronic documents and tools.
Conserving company resources.
Limiting liability for employee misconduct.
Discipline or terminations for violations.

Read more about how technology is changing the workplace and why human resources professionals need to be prepared. Or contact the Skywalk Group HR Experts for a free sample of a cell phone policy.

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How Successful are People at Making Lasting Changes

Change in a Brown Paper Bag

Steps to Effective Organizational Change

11 Key Factors to include in a Cell Phone Policy