Best workplace practices: retain those employees with leadership that works.

• Author: Bohi, Heidi
• Position: GENERAL

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Most managers reading this article likely tell anyone who asks that their employees think the workplace they oversee is one of the best. Most of these same employees will tell them they are dead wrong.

In fact, what employers think matters most in a workplace, and what the workerbees say actually makes them happy, when lined up side-by-side, are completely flip-flopped.

What do employees say makes a good workplace? In a landmark study conducted by the Hay Group, a global management consulting firm known for its research on the best companies to work for, 500,000 employees in 30 companies were surveyed.

Participants were asked to prioritize retention factors. While employers listed pay at the top of the list, employees said that if a company pays a fair market wage, salary consistently ranks toward the bottom of what's most valued by employees in their relationship with their employer. The ability to learn and grow in their jobs, do challenging and meaningful work, feel like they are a valued team member and be recognized for their contributions are some of the top priorities. Others include feeling in control of their work, and having flexibility in their hours and dress.

This understanding is important for managers to apply because while they may not have the final say on employee compensation, they can control what matters to them and what will keep them from leaving. Pearson points out, too, that it takes 8 percent of an employee's salary to effect behavioral change in the workplace--it costs nothing to recognize a job well done and it pays out even greater results.

'AWARENESS'

"It's all about awareness, caring by the manager, and them understanding employees are not just there for the paycheck," Tim Pearson, an Anchorage-based executive and professional coach says, citing the adage, "Employees don't leave companies, they leave managers."

The manager's role is to create an atmosphere that makes that happen and two-way communication is a big part of it, Pearson says. "We learn to communicate, but never learn to listen. It's all about awareness and understanding that has human beings we want to do something deeper and more significant."

But it's not just about being warm and fuzzy. The best workplaces understand happy employees stay, and retention is critical for sustaining growth in the marketplace. A standard industry statistic says if an employee leaves within three months of being hired it costs 1.5 times their...