retention strategies

Retention strategies are commonly deployed at the moment somebody resigns, which is the least effective point in the entire process.

By the time a resignation is handed over, the person has updated a profile, had conversations, been interviewed, negotiated and accepted. The decision was made weeks earlier and the reasons were forming for months before that.

A counter-offer at that stage buys a little time rather than any commitment, and frequently not much time either.

Strategies that work operate much earlier and are entirely unremarkable. Conversations about where somebody wants to go next, held well before they go looking. Workload noticed and adjusted rather than admired. Progression that is visible rather than merely assumed. And acting on the themes coming out of people who have already left.

Safe Work Australia covers psychosocial hazards including job demands. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

See Sentrient’s performance management system and employee engagement surveys.