New HR Seminar Series: Tools to Address HR Issues By Leslie Elsner Bell, Executive Director, Granite HR Consulting, LLC

Does your organization have a workforce that spans several generations?  Do you have Generation X managing Baby Boomers, or the opposite?  Are you wondering how to keep Generation Y engaged with your company now that they’ve learned the ropes and are contributing?  Once a manager has successfully hired (that is, attracted) that hard-to-find candidate, the next challenge is motivating and retaining that talent.

As we discussed in our August article on recruiting and our September article on coaching, counseling, and disciplinary action, employment issues are an ongoing challenge for every business.

Business leaders need to understand the fundamentals of employee motivation, along with establishing processes and systems to keep employees motivated, and understand the needs of the different generations in today’s workforce.

To fully engage your employees, you must determine what is important to them, such as career goals, work-life balance, as well as training and professional development. Of course, every individual is motivated differently, but there are some generation-based motivators to consider in order to maintain an excellent workforce.
Of course, once an organization has clear communication and a positive environment, the work isn’t done. It’s imperative to build retention strategies that go beyond employee recognition programs, competitive wages and benefits, and clear performance expectations and feedback at regular intervals.  To clearly demonstrate your company supports and values professional development, you should provide employees with ongoing opportunities to learn and grow. 

Every business is different, but the fundamentals of employee motivation and retention are constant.  When a business gets these right, turnover and the “revolving door” that had key employees coming and going constantly is a challenge of the past.

To understand how to retain good employees and keep them motivated, please join us for EMPLOYEE RETENTION, the third of three HR seminars on Tools to Address HR Issues, Nov. 14 from noon to 1:30 p.m. For more information about the author and presenter, go to www.GraniteHRConsulting.com.

This seminar costs $50. Preregistration is required; please visit hanoverchamber.com/events/calendar to register. For more information about the author and presenter, visit GraniteHRConsulting.com.