** 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave

A very dry book. Stick to the blog. Important points to implement in any job with more than 2 employees.

Employees begin to disengage and think about leaving when 1 or more of 4 fundemental needs are not being met: p19
Need for trust
Need to have hope
Sense of worth
Feeling competent

Employees are frustrated about pay because they have observed the following inequities:
Superior perf reviews have little effect on pay increases
Experience is discounted when new hires paid as much or more as veterans
Higher education doesn’t translate into higher pay
Increased stress isn’t worth the money
Extra hours and overtime make the pay worth less p26

7 Root Causes for turnover: p29
Job/workplace doesn’t meet expectations
Mismatch between job and person
Too little feedback and coaching
Too few growth and advancement opportunities
Feeling devalued and unrecognized
Stress and work/life imbalance
Loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders

Good interview questions p64
What is your greatest strength/weakness?
Which of your talents was most under utilized in your last job?
Which talent would you most like to use?
How would you like to be challenged in the coming year?
What appeals to you in the job description?

Coaching/feedback should help a person answer these questions: p73
Where is the company going
How is it getting there
How do you expect to contribute
How are good are your contributions

Recognition can’t replace pay; it can only add to it. It is retroactive, while variable pay is forward looking. Recognition is most powerful immediately after it follows the accomplishment. Any employee can recognize another, but only management can affect pay. P125

Ways to make new hires feel welcome p137
Send gift basket to their home to impress their family.
Put candy/pastries in their cube to attract others to stop by
Assign mentors for the first few weeks
Spread out orientation over a period of weeks to be better absorbed

Toxic work culture warning signs p153
Treating workers like they are lucky to have a job
Expecting/demanding workers to give up personal time
Controlling rather than empowering
Hoarding information at top levels
Infighting between departments
Lying or being unethical
Constantly changing corporate direction

Shareholder’s interests are important, but employees know when they are being given short shrift. Companies which perversely don’t put shareholders first, do better for their shareholders than organizations that only put shareholders first… “When you take care of your employees, they take care of your customers. And your shareholders wind up winning anyway” – Dick Kovacevich, CEO WellsFargo… “It takes a week for an employee to start treating customers the same way the employer is treating that employee.” – Sam Walton p186

A major corporation claimed to be committed to work/life values by drawing up an excellent plan. The company gathered its top 80 officers to review the plan – but scheduled the meeting on a weekend… One company displayed its code of conduct in its lobby, proclaiming trust was a driving principle, yet it searched employee’s belongings each time the entered and exited the building. P189

Exit Interview questions p222
If you had 3 months to work over again, what would you do differently
What have you learned that you can take with you to your next job
What are you proud of from your time here
Would you consider returning and under what circumstances