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Why 'Hiring Now' Is A Sign You May Have Problems

Written by: Martin Haworth

Article Overview: The sign was hanging behind the service counter on the McDonalds nearby. 'Hiring Now', meant they had places to fill and this was potentially a great way to draw employees, with their throughput of customers. Yet what other message did it give?

Why 'Hiring Now' Is A Sign You May Have Problems

Advertising to those already sold on the McDonalds ethic is not a bad way to get free publicity for their recruitment needs. Indeed if you ever have the need to recruit, pitching adverts at where your customers can see them is a great way to get employees that fit your values and business niche.

Why were they advertising at all? How is it that somewhere needs to ensure that they have a steady flow of employees inbound, with all the cost- penalties that entails, rather than people who stay?

In the case of McDonalds, they probably have a higher turnover of employees because of the nature of their business. Many part-timers; lots of young people; students coming and going as they pursue their education (not to mention financial needs!).

In other organizations, where they find the need to recruit regularly, this in itself should be a sign that careful consideration needs to made about the symptom - regularly needing to recruit - as well as any other factors that might indicate an environment where employees leave, regularly.

Where there is a high absence level; high turnover; a higher than expected level of customer complaints, for example, these all add up to indicating that there is potentially a far greater malaise. And that is much more likely to need closer scrutiny than just fighting the high turnover fire.

Time to get real clear on just what bugs your people - what is irritating them sufficiently that they will leave you for something else. And remember, those who leave give you real evidence - what about those who stay - and deliver way below what you would want them to.

From these people you get no hint that they are just not working as effectively as they might. And that's worse!

One challenge is, well, just what is high turnover? In many larger organizations, there have benchmarks or peer businesses that can be easily measured against. If not, a great way to check how you are doing is by a rolling average. add 12 months together and divide by 12, updating each month as you go.

Then the challenge is to beat the rolling average, by taking small steps to hang onto your people. In larger organizations, get a few of your team involved in heading off issues that are likely to irritate your people.

Better still, get individuals for all levels within the organization, team or department to form a working party, with explicit conditions that all are to be treated equally and listened to equally, creating collaborative solutions to the issues uncovered.

Bottom line is, the more you know about what is annoying your people - even little things - the better you can respond and retain your people longer.

Of course, only you can decide whether you listen hard enough - and respond constructively enough - to what you hear from them.

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