Human Resources Management – You Reap What You Sow…

Much the same way a garden grows – needing attention and nurturing to flourish – so too does an organization. According to urbandictionary.com, the expression ‘you reap what you sow’ states that ‘actions have consequences’ and that ‘you will see the long-term effects of your actions.’ So why not put the time and effort into those actions and their subsequent consequences to ensure the best possible outcome? And for human resources professionals – their efforts can be greatly capitalized upon through the leveraging of an HR Shared Services Solution.

Keeping a workforce motivated, productive and positive is an ongoing, full-time task. Investing in systems to ensure that morale remains high shows that a company cares about its workforce. Establishing and maintaining a positive work environment, free from low morale, helps ensure that people are engaged with the firm and their jobs; keeping turnover low. Retaining an organization’s talented professionals keeps productivity high and experience from walking out the door.

People leave their jobs for a variety of reasons, and frequently the issues leading to departure could have been addressed if known to the managers of the firm. According to a Forbes article by Victor Lipman titled, ‘Why Do Employees Leave Their Jobs? New Survey Offers Answers,’ “The more companies can learn about why employees leave them, the better off they are.” He goes on to state, “While not necessarily easy to define, the overall fabric of the environment one spends large amounts of time in naturally influences one’s perception of the work experience.”

According to the study, “employees who give their work culture low marks are nearly 15% more likely to think about a new job than their counterparts.” The study referenced was conducted by TINYpulse, an employee engagement firm, which surveyed 400 full-time U.S. employees. Study findings include:

• a strong connection between employee job satisfaction and "freedom to make decisions about how to do their jobs," whereby micromanaged employees are 28% more likely to seek employment elsewhere
• employees who felt overworked, tired and burned out were 31% more likely to think about looking for a new job
• the possibility of 'professional development opportunities' made employees "more than 10% more likely to stay with their current employer"

“In short, relationships of all kinds have a major impact on retention: relationships with managers, with co-workers, and with the broader company culture.  While none of this is shocking, it paints a consistent picture,” continues Lipman.

As Bill Arcement writes for The Business Journals, the '5 Top Reasons People Quit their Jobs' are a lack of professional growth, unhappiness in their work, feeling unimportant, lacking support to do their jobs well and not being paid enough. Enhancing an organization’s employee engagement with relationship management and proactive communications methods optimized through an HR Shared Services system can go a long way towards bringing these issues to light – so that they may be addressed to mutual satisfaction – an investment that will pay great dividends in the long run.