Have you ever thoght about the difference between retainment and commitment? They may be seen as similiar concepts, but if we take a closer look, we will see that there are subtle and peculiar differences.
Let’s look at two cases.
Mr. X has a good job, his own office, and an incredible salary. However, he does not quite enjoy his work. His boss does not value his work, his colleagues barely interact with each other, the company does not invest in the professional growth of its employees or in training and they even consider their employees as simple numbers, one of the many in the business.
Mr. X only thinks about weekends and retirement.
But Mr. X is not leaving. He does not change his job because he believes he will not find anything better, or at least another company that can improve his current conditions. Mr. X goes to the office every day unmotivated, he does not give 100% and, as soon as a better opportunity arises, he will not hesitate to put his plants in a box with the rest of his things and leave, without looking back.
On the other hand, Mrs. X does not have a large office and her salary is average. But every day she goes to work knowing that her job has a positive impact on others.
She feels valued by her peers and by top management. In addition, every year her organization proposes different trainings and courses to update her skills and knowledge of the sector. When she has any problems or difficulties, she knows that there will be someone within the organization to help her. Working as a team is very simple because the working environment is exceptional.
Mrs. X feels very comfortable and well-integrated into her work and, if someone calls her offering more money but worse conditions, Mrs. X may think twice before deciding to change.
What can we learn from Mr. X and Mrs. X?
Mr. X is retained in his organization, Mrs. X is engaged and committed to his organization.
The danger of retaining and not building engagement
Can a company really afford to have employees who do not want to work within the organization?
When an employee is not comfortable, they are unmotivated, and they will probably have an inefficient level of performance. Nor will they try to innovate or work to improve the company.
And in extreme cases, they will speak ill of the organization, creating negative publicity that will directly affect the company, as neither the customers will want to consume the products or services, nor will other talent want to join the company.
An employee “retained” is the kind of ambassador that any company wouldn’t want to have.
For this reason, in terms of people management, it is important to dedicate time and resources to understanding employees, knowing what worries them, helping them improve and making them understand and feel that they are not just a simple number, but a fundamental part of the organization.
In short, it is essential to promote the sense of belonging.
The importance of belonging
There are many articles that talk about the importance of the sense of belonging and its positive economic impact.
But the truth is that the feeling of belonging is one of the main factors that actively influence the “retention” of talent and helps to reduce the turnover rate to optimal levels.
When we feel that we are a significant part of the organization, we are implicitly aware that our work has a purpose, normally aligned with the organization, and it positively impacts in society. This feeling encourages commitment and loyalty.
This also implies a greater organizational identification and an increase in the well – being of employees (Dávila de León & Jiménez, 2014).
Now, this feeling is not generated spontaneously, you must work on it. And the main person responsible, that must lead this important task, according to numerous studies, is the team leader.
In fact, Daniel Goleman in his recent article “Money isn’t the key motivator” explains that it is managers who must guide the work force towards the purpose of their job and thus inspire and motivate them.
In other words, it is the leaders who must connect people with their work and give it a deeper meaning.
The key to retaining talent
Yes, customers are important. But who is going to deal with your clients? Your employees. If your employees are not connected to the objectives of the organization, motivation and performance will suffer.
To align employees with the interests of the company, we must engage with them and make them participate in it.
Knowing them and connecting with their interests is essential to create an employee experience so great that they will not want to go anywhere.
So … Ask, ask and ask!
You must lose the fear of asking. Many employers are reluctant in taking the initiative and openly asking if there is anything that can be improved as an organization.
But if we don’t, we won’t know how our employees are doing. We will not know how to motivate them. We will not know if we are missing any opportunities to innovate and have more benefits. We will not know if the decisions we make are the correct ones.
Asking is a very valuable resource and you must take advantage of it.
Giving a voice to the employees not only makes them feel more involved in the organization, but it also helps to gather necessary information to make decisions that really are meaningful and improve the welfare of employees.
Don’t retain employees, offer them the best place to work and they won’t want to leave anywhere else.
