Train Your Employees to Leave

2014-03-29T10:36:00.001-07:00

“Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to.” Sir Richard Branson

What a profound thing to say. He’s basically telling you to teach your employee all that you know. Who does that? Why should the employer go out of their way to make that person’s life better? In today’s economy, where there are ten potential employees charging for that one position, you’d think an employer would have their pick of whomever they wanted. And they do but are they any good?

I’ve worked in the corporate world and also for privately owned companies. I’ve seen all sorts of management styles come and go. At college we learned how to make employees accountable. That gave birth to the rush of MBAs flooding corporate America in the 80’s. With their suits on and their text book theories shoved into their briefcases, they marched onto the scene like the crusaders of old. They got paid the big bucks while the employees had more paperwork to file. Somewhere along the way the person got lost in the file cabinets. The employee’s only recourse was to learn how to use the system in order to take any kind of benefit that they felt was deserved to them.

Little by little business became top heavy. The few were cashing in on all the profits the many were creating. Greed made its debut and boy did it change attitudes. Money was now the driving force behind every performance evaluation. Top management needed to keep their high paying positions. In order to do that they were required to show big profits. How do you do that without raising prices? You cut costs. What’s your biggest cost? The employee.

Don’t get me wrong, there were no whips and chains. Remember, they did have degrees so they brought out their bag of tricks. Instead of the pension plan that the employee paid nothing into, we now have 401K’s that we contribute to. The hour lunch and two fifteen minute breaks have disappeared and we eat at our desk. The traditional hourly paid - 8 hour day has become the 9 hour salary position. Instead of promoting that long time employee who knows every aspect of the job and can run the department with their eye’s closed, management hires from the outside in hopes of bringing “fresh blood” into the business. If they’d only see that they just disappointed that poor soul who thought they had a future in the company. Can you say sabotage?

Somehow Richard Branson figured out something that no college course ever teaches. He learned the importance of giving back.

One of the most important mindsets of the successful business owner is to know the value that the loyal employee brings to the company. The employer who knows they can rely on that employee will have the peace of mind needed to perform their own job to the fullest. The freedom that brings alone should be worth a million dollars. I believe this is core of a great partnership between employer and employee. So how does the employer establish this bond?

According to Mr. Branson the employer goes out of their way to teach the employee everything they know. He goes beyond to give them a measurable significance. Don’t just teach the basics, teach enough to make the employee an exceptional asset that brings value to the company. The employee becomes the focus and not the employee’s performance. Everyone knows that practice makes perfect. If you do something long enough you will develop the skill to be a master at it. According to this theory, it doesn’t seem to matter how good the employee is at their job. That skill will come in time. It has to. What matters is that the employee is trained at a level that they will see the mistake before they even do it. It is that level of expertise that the employer should be developing in an employee. Doing the job once is the key to avoiding the costs that’s spent to fix the mistake. When time is spent efficiently then less time is wasted and in turn, less money will be spent on wages. The employee becomes more valuable to you. Be aware though that the employee also knows they have become more attractive to other employers. So how do you give yourself a guarantee that all your training won’t walk out the door?

You recognize that value as priceless in your employee. I don’t mean by words either. Action is the key here. Everyone who has to work is there for one thing, their paycheck. If you’ve just spent all that time training and creating this value added employee then show them appreciation by giving them back some of that money they just saved you.

In my profession I have seen many small business clients who don’t conduct yearly performance reviews. This is probably one of the biggest mistakes you can make. How else will that great employee ever know that they’re doing a good job? Everyone deserves to get some kind of raise each year. Even the cost of living gets one. Not going out of your way to give the employee something back for being there for you all year is costly. This is where the saying “cheap is expensive” comes in. Just how much will it cost you to train someone new after that person gets tired of waiting on you to step up to the plate and leaves?

There are other ways to show your appreciation. You can share in the cost of benefits for the employee. How about giving gift certificates or even paying for a spa day? Don’t be that unwavering Scrooge who uses the excuse that you can’t bend the employee manual a little. These are all things that will make that employee feel that the job they do is noticed. Be creative in your giving. You work with these people every day. You should know their interests and their needs. Fill some and see the appreciation come right back to you. That’s how you treat them so they don’t want to leave.

One last thing to keep in mind, just make sure that what you do for one you do for all. The last thing you want to create is the office star. Remember, it takes the whole team to produce the product. No position should ever be more important than another. If you’ve got one unhappy person, the whole office won’t function to full capacity.

Now it’s your choice on how you want to treat your employees. Are you going to be proactive and take the advice of one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time? Or are you going to be reactive and keep putting out fires at the office? Which person do you choose to be?

2012-05-30T09:13:00.000-07:00

The following is what I’d love to say on my cover letter but can’t:

Dear Employer:

I’ve been on and off unemployment since the summer of 2008. Like others in my boat, I hold a degree in accounting which took me places 20 years ago but now carries no weight. With the emergence of simple software programs, employers now think someone who took an accounting class in high school has enough knowledge (as long as they can enter the checks on the computer) to be the corporate “bookkeeper”. This term has become the new title for accountants and with it comes half the pay.

I now find myself backed into this corner that I did not construct. I press on to search for my next full time job. There’s the occasional part time employment offered which equates to working 30+ hours a week and no benefits. I was once offered a salary position but I’d have to work 45 or more hours a week, no overtime pay, and told that part of my “bookkeeping” duties included emptying the garbage cans and vacuuming.

Let's not forget the numerous employment agencies which have emerged tenfold in the last decade. Seems you can’t apply for any job without applying through them. They call you and tell you how perfect you would be for a position they have . You go to their office thinking finally someone is helping me. Then you spend half the day filling out all their employment paper work. You may or may not take some of their skill tests. I once took four of them only to be told they couldn’t find my results. You comply with all they ask you to do just to find out that the original position they called you in for was only a temporary position with the possibility of being hired full time in the future. So now you become their employee and they can place you or not. After dealing with several of these companies I’ve come to the conclusion that their goal is to fill up their rolodexes with as many bodies as they can. This way employers call them first, they take the other half of your pay, and you work less than part time.

Really people, is this what we’ve turned into? I do understand the economic situation but could you please have a little compassion on those of us who are just trying to pay our bills? I’ve joined every employment site on the internet. My email box overfills every day with the same job postings from different sites. I tried networking and rewriting my resume to reflect my accomplishments. I was told employers want to see what you can do for them. It doesn’t matter how well you know your job anymore.

We have become a nation of bottom liners. I just received my house insurance renewal and they’ve decreased my coverage but raised my rate. Why? Because they sent a letter a month ago and said they can. We’ve lost our pride, compassion, and dignity. We’ve got business owners making millions who want the degreed accountant to also clean the office because they’re too cheap to hire a service. Am I the only one that sees this is wrong?

By the way, yes, I’m available immediately.

Sincerely,

Forever Hoping

Cover Letter

Train Your Employees to Leave