ARE YOU ABLE TO KEEP THE KEEPERS?
It's no secret that employee turnover can be a double-edged sword. Certainly, it can be a good way to eliminate poor-performing employees. But, when it's your "keepers" that you are losing - your most talented, experienced and knowledgeable employees - then you may risk losing the very edge that makes your company competitive.

Employers used to be able to count on a tight job market and scarce opportunities to hold onto talented employees. Today the rising labor shortage is already forcing employers to rethink how they recruit and retain top talent.

A 2005 survey by Hay Group, reported in Fast Company Magazine, highlighted what a poor job most corporations do when it comes to retaining top talent. A paltry 40% of the employees surveyed commended their companies for retaining high-quality workers. Only 41% believed that performance evaluations were fair and only 58% rated their job training favorably. (Fast Company Magazine, August 2005).

Our own research bears this out. Our survey of more than 1,700 workers from all walks of life revealed that almost one in five respondents plans to look for a new job in 2006 - specifically because of work/life balance issues. (More information on our survey results can be found at (www.keygroupconsulting.com/articles/issueheatsup.htm).

The implications are obvious. If your most valuable employees -- your "keepers" -- are heading out the door they could be taking intimate knowledge of your customers, products and processes with them. Even worse, they may also be leaving behind a workplace culture that will be weaker and less viable because of their absence.

"Work is about daily meaning as well as daily bread. For recognition as well as cash; for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying. We have a right to ask of work that it include meaning, recognition, astonishment, and life."- Studs Turkel

RENTERS VERSUS OWNERS
I often speak about the difference between employees that appear to "rent" their cubicles versus employees that appear to "own" their cubicles. Many employees seem to be more driven to watch the clock than the bottom-line. This type of work environment can be draining, particularly for ambitious and highly motivated workers. How can a manager inspire employees to regain that all-elusive sense of ownership? Fortunately, there are several things a leader can do to re-energize a work environment:

• Share your vision. Don't dole out information on a "need to know" basis. Employees want and need to know what your company stands for, where it's going, and how that's going to impact their future. After all, they need to be able to buy into your mission and vision, and they can't do so if they don't fully understand it.
  
  
• Give employees a real voice in planning your future. No matter how often you tell your employees "this is your company, too," if they have no real say-so, it's clearly just lip service. Collaborate with them. Solicit their ideas and contributions, then take their advice and run with it.
  
  
• Make sure their work is meaningful. No one likes busywork or routine, mind-numbing tasks. Give your employees challenging assignments that stimulate their minds and that have a real impact on your organization. Remember, you hired them for their talent. Bored employees are unmotivated employees. They get restless. They lose sight of how they fit into the company and start seeking greener-more vibrant-pastures.
  
  
• Bring joy into the workplace. Renters see work as an eight-hour stint to be endured before the "fun" part of life can kick in. Owners see work as part of an integrated life. While they accept that there will be stress, disappointment, and challenges, they expect a healthy dose of laughter, camaraderie, and plain old fun as well. So seek out ways to make work joyful.

If you take these and similar steps to re-energizing your workplace, you'll be rewarded with employees that take pride in an environment that, as Studs Turkel describes it, shines with "meaning, recognition, astonishment, and life."

For more detailed suggestions visit www.keygroupconsulting.com/articles/renter.htm.

RISING PRICES ARE A GAS
We've all struggled with escalating gas prices lately. For most of us it's no laughing matter, but the Associated Press recently reported on a California Gas Dealer who tried to lighten the news with a little humor. The enterprising Manhattan Beach dealer replaced the numbered prices of his regular, mid-grade and premium gasolines with the words "Arm," "Leg," and First Born." It seems that most customers found the bit of on-the-job humor amusing (despite the pain), but the oil company saw it differently and terminated his lease. The owner told AP that he didn't fit their plans because he still believed in adequate staffing and providing good customer service, while the oil company simply wanted a convenience store manned by a single employee. It's sad when employee creativity and spontaneity get stifled, rather than rewarded.

A BRIEF REMINDER
Before I sign off for this issue, I want to remind you one of the best ways to retain top talent is through effective performance reviews Take a look at our eBook From Renter To Owner: Performance Reviews That Transform Employee Attitudes. This useful guide will tell you everything you need to know in order to build a more efficient, productive, motivated workplace culture! To order this practical and inspirational eBook visit www.howtodoaperformanceappraisal.com