Now is the time to invest in your employees!

At some level, creating a workforce of actively engaged employees is as much about managing perception than anything else. Creating an atmosphere where employees FEEL valued can often create a culture where employees provide value. Although there are many, many ways in which an organization can manage perception, one of the most effective is to invest in employees' futures.

I would argue that NOW is the time to invest in the future of your top employees. WHY? Because the ROI on your investment today is worth much more than one year ago. Spending a dollar when times are tough is worth much more than spending ten when times are good. The perception capital that you will gain by investing in an employees' future today will pay dividends long after the current economic situation turns around!

Why Did You Leave?

Many of us have been in the position of having a trusted employee come into our office and announce that they will be leaving the organization. After an initial moment of shock, an inevitable question always comes next: WHY? Here is a partial list of why people leave organizations: (after reason #1, the rest are in no particular order)

1. People leave managers, not organizations
2. Perceived lack of advancement opportunities
3. Lack of training
4. Poor Communication
5. Pay/Compensation
6. Compensation other than pay
7. Perceived lack of organizational vision/poor senior leadership
8. Workload - - too much/not enough
9. Poor organizational reputation
10. Lack of tools and resources
11. Poor teamwork

The positive side of the above list is the fact that most can be addressed before they become a major source of employee turnover.