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Women in Agriculture Educators’ Conference
Baltimore, MDMarch 23-25, 2010
Employee Turnover--
Symptom or Disease?
Turnover:
It’s Really a Lack of Retention
Teaching Hint
Good place to use Turning Point™1. How many employees on your farm?
2. In the last two years, we have lost one or more employees we would really like to have kept.
Why Do Employees Leave?
Signs of Low Morale• excessive absenteeism or tardiness • high turnover • poor work quality • increasing number of errors in work • necessity to re-do work frequently • lack of enthusiasm about work • jealousy or fighting among staff members • complaints from customers about service
The Business Owner's Toolkit ™ http://www.toolkit.com
Perceptions of Factors Affecting Morale
Employees' Rank Item
Employer's Rank
1 (6) Interesting work 5
2 (1) Appreciation and recognition 8
3 (2) Feeling "in on things" 10
4 (4) Job security 2
5 (5) Good wages 1
6 (7) Promotion/growth 3
7 (9) Good working conditions 4
8 (8) Personal loyalty 6
9 (10) Tactful discipline 7
10 (3) Sympathetic help with problems 9
Niebrugge, Vicki, Declining Employee Morale: Defining the Causes and Finding the Cure, NOVA Group(report of same apparent survey at Univ. of AL HRM Conference – 2009)
Factors Affecting Employee Morale
• treated fairly • valued and appreciated for their work • recognized for their work • paid a fair wage for their work • doing work that is important
Positive Actions• Hire right in the first place!• Orientation• Training• Personal contact• Positive feedback• Opportunity for personal and professional growth• Support some outside activities• Family and cultural considerations• Recognition• Flexibility in work schedules• Employee engagement
The Business Owner's Toolkit ™ http://www.toolkit.com and others
Recognition Options – Low Cost
• Write personal notes to employees• Create a "year in review" booklet• Give courtesy time off• Give credit when credit is due• Put up a bulletin board• Have a "Friday surprise"• Get a traveling trophy
The Business Owner's Toolkit ™ http://www.toolkit.com
Retention Strategies
• Pay competitive wages/salaries• Provide flexibility• Champion longevity • Respect employees• Increase and improve communications• Pay retention bonuses
http://www.hrtools.com/
Starting Retention at Hiring
Employees with <2 years experience are twice as likely to leave as employees with >2 years experience
Sirota Survey
Intelligence
Determinants of Job Satisfaction
• Achievement• Recognition• The work itself• Responsibility• Advancement
--Herzberg et al
Other influences
• Herzberg’s “hygiene factors”– Company policy and administration– Technical aspects of supervision– Salary– Interpersonal relationships (boss and peer)– Working conditions
» Herzberg et al
Avoiding Unnecessary Turnover
Motivated bosses inspire motivated employees
REMEMBER
No one can give an unmotivated person
motivation
Have confidence in your staff & let them
know it
If they know you think they can do a first class job, they will strive to do their best for you.
Motivation comes from wanting to do
something
PRAISE OFTENAgriculture ITO – Managing Y9our Team, 2007
Worker Satisfaction
• Talk to employees regularly in both formal and informal settings
• Conduct deliberate surveys of employees– Might want to use outside people to conduct the
interviews so privacy can be maintained
Costs of Turnover
• Upsets routine • Costs of hiring temporary replacements• Costs of recruiting/selecting/hiring new employees• Time to train new employees• Costs of the employee who leaves mentally but
keeps coming to work• Makes animals uncomfortable• May affect health and safety of animals
Reduce Turnover with Exit Interviews
• Is there an immediate reason the employee is leaving?
• Are there some things that could be changed that might have enticed the employee to stay?
• What was good about working on a farm?• Do they have suggestions that might help
the farm?
Minimize Turnover by Hiring Right in the First Place!
• Hire the right amount of labor for the needs• Hire the right skills in your people• Hire people with the right attitude • Be clear with applicants and employees
what you expect and then be consistent
Some Reasons for Turnover
• Work scheduled changed• Incentive system not clearly understood• Job is no longer ‘fun’• Working conditions changed• Training was not thought out or followed
through• Poor communications
Lash, 1998: NPPC Employee Relations Conference
Lash, 1998; NPPC Employee Relations Conference
Positive Aspects of Turnover
• Turnover isn’t always bad!• Helps bring in fresh ideas • May be the key to changing attitudes among
employees• Provides an opportunity to re-align staff and
tasks on the farm
“I don’t worry about hiring a great employee and having him leave in three months. I worry about hiring a bad employee and having him stay for three years.”
“Selecting Employees that Fit”
Sarah Fogelman, KSU
Thanks for your kind attention
