How To Improve Retention by 50%

Attractive salary packages, good terms and conditions, career development and opportunities to learn may be sufficient to entice people to join a new organisation, but these things alone are not enough to stop them from leaving. According to a Gallup Survey, the relationship people have with their Managers can determine whether they stay or leave. So, if organisations don’t pay attention to the relationships their Managers have with their employees, they risk doubling their employee turnover.

The Gallup Survey indicates that a massive 50% of leavers cite ‘getting away from their Manager’ as a reason for leaving their job. The same survey shows that 92% of people who strongly disagreed with the statement ‘I feel I can approach my manager with any type of question’ were not engaged or were actively disengaged. Conversely, more than half of engaged employees did feel like they could approach their Managers.

This correlation between employee engagement and the Manager relationship is striking and is a clear steer for organisations to take the issue of how well their Managers perform very seriously.

The consequences of not doing so are considerable and the losses far outweigh the direct costs associated with repeated recruitment campaigns. When employees are not engaged as a result of their relationships with their Managers, they tend to withhold their discretionary effort and lower their contribution. This stifles communication, weakens problem-solving, zaps creativity and ultimately has a disastrous impact on performance and productivity.

So what can organisations do to fix this?

It is probably impossible for prospective employees to really ascertain, before they sign on the dotted line, what their relationship will be like with their Manager. This puts the onus for change directly on the organisation. So, organisations that want to retain their talent need to improve their engagement levels and take steps to ensure that their Managers can relate to any new employee, in the most engaging and effective way, over a prolonged period; not just in the honeymoon phase.

There are some simple things that Managers can do to start transforming their relationships with others: more regular communication, giving more recognition and becoming more visible and accessible. But to garner real engagement, Managers will benefit from adopting a leadership style that helps to create conditions conducive for high levels of empowerment, accountability and ownership.

Behavioural change experts Notion work with organisations to take their Leaders and Managers on a transformational journey that helps them to adopt an Operational Coaching® style of leadership. Using a range of delivery and learning technologies, Notion introduces Leaders and Managers to STAR® – their Operational Coaching® model. STAR® enables Leaders and
Managers to make very immediate changes to the way they interact with people in everyday situations that can have a dramatic impact on relationships, morale and on the commercial results of the business. Here are some past delegates talking about how STAR® has revolutionised their relationships with others.

“The biggest impact to my department is that…now everybody has a voice and everybody feels like their voice is important.” Manager, Manufacturing Plant

“My ability to empower, develop and challenge has been evident to me, my team and colleagues. In particular, my relationship with my manager has dramatically improved which has enabled us to work much more effectively together to the benefit of the business.” Senior Executive, Financial Services

“I can now listen and understand, display empathy and get to know my team and show they are valued.” Director, Equipment Distributor

“Before I was managing and doing… now I am using coaching instead and leading more by motivating, pace setting and challenging the status quo.” Senior Academic, University.

“KPI results improved significantly in my store, most noticeably around Customer Service and Colleague Engagement. I was promoted this year to Store Manager as a result. In fact my Regional Manager now sees coaching and engagement as my significant strength! Thank you Notion!” Store Manager, Large Retail Chain

“The biggest change in my team is a positive change in approach and communication and more focus on behaviour rather than problem solving.” Production Manager,

“I have a more engaged team who are beginning to feel empowered and own their own results. My performance is ahead of my peers and has improved since I have begun to use coaching as part of my leadership style.” Retail Director, Hospitality

“I now have a better relationship with my colleagues and higher team morale.” Head Chef, Restaurant

“This course has brought together elements of Leadership and Management I have been using into a very focused and effective style of improving performance, motivation, engagement and satisfaction. Amazing!” Business Manager, Hospitality Sector

This is compelling evidence that when Managers adopt an ‘Enquiry-Led Approach’ that is central to Operational Coaching® they soon learn that the real magic happens when they invite people to contribute their ideas, take part in shared problem solving and have a say in what happens next.

As this becomes the norm, engagement levels will rocket even further and the relationships people have with their Managers will also improve. With good employee-manager relationships in place, organisations can step back and watch their employee turnover tumble.

Notion is a global expert in behaviour change. For more information about how Operational Coaching® can improve engagement and increase retention by transforming relationships between Managers and employees, visit us at https://www.BusinessCoaching.co.uk/services/coaching-culture–coaching-skills or call us for an informal chat on +44 (0) 1926 889 885. Notion is a global expert in behaviour change. For more information about how Operational Coaching® can improve engagement and increase retention by transforming relationships betweenManagers and employees, visit us at https://www.BusinessCoaching.co.uk/services/coaching-culture–coaching-skills or call us for an informal chat on +44 (0) 1926 889 885.

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We partner with organisations all over the world, combining our unique experiences to create mutually beneficial and collaborative relationships. If you’d like to explore teaming up with us on this journey please do say hello and we’ll schedule an informal call.