Australian Staff Turnover Costs $20 billion per annum!!

 Can your organisation afford to not focus on employee retention?

In a recent AHRI survey 64% of organisations reported struggling with retaining staff with a convincing majority also reporting that it had a direct (and negative) impact on the organisations effectiveness and the bottom line.

It has been my observation that organisations are still not allocating sufficient resources to the retention of their staff.  Some may argue that you have to attract before you can retain or that it doesn't matter what you do first (a bit like the chicken or the egg debate) but I see it differently.  They say (and I agree) that "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."  What do I mean by that?  Simply this.  The staff you already have, the ones working in your organisations right now,  are the most powerful and valuable employer branding / marketing tool you have. 

Focus on improving their Satisfaction@Work and you will create a powerfully magnetic affect in your organisation.  Don't spend all your time worry about your selection processes or how sexy your advertising is.  Walk your talk by delivering to your existing workforce.  They'll do the marketing for you.  I promise.

The Seven Critical Factors Affecting Employee Engagement

1. Appreciation
2. Respect
3. Trust
4. Individual Growth
5. A Good Boss
6. Compatible Co-Workers
7. A Sense of Purpose

I'll talk more about each of these over the next few days.  Stay tuned.

I was at a clients HR conference a couple of weeks ago and one of the speakers referenced that saying.  "Frustration is the dark side of passion."   I liked it and it resonated with many of the audience.  I guess frustration is something that we all have to deal with from time to time.  It's nice to know that the flip side is something that can be a strong indicator to a life lived with purpose... passion.

I talk about passion with my clients all the time.  Many organisations want to know how to inspire passion.  Most individuals at one stage or another would talk to me about passion, the lack of it in their lives and how to get more of it. 

I wonder... is it really that simple?   Next time something frustrates you, I want you to pause and reflect for a moment to see if it's an indicator for something that perhaps you really could get passionate about.  Remember, passion drives committment.

If not, the consolation prize might be that you can decide not to get so frustrated about it seeing as it's not something you really feel passionately about.

Let me know how you go.

Desire drives motivation.

Ever wondered how some people achieve so much?

 I have.  How to sustain motivation and drive.  It's a common theme whether I'm consulting with organisations or working with individuals and one of the key ingredients I've noticed is desire.

Defined as "a longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment" desire is a critical ingredient to sustaining motivation, committment and action over a prolonged period of time.

If you want to improve your own or your employees committment you need to ignite their desire.

Desire drives motivation.  Keep in mind that desire alone is not enough to realise all goals it is a strong predictor of whether they will be motivated enough to actively pursue it.

What's your desire?

Want to know how to change your life immediately so that you can start focusing on the things that are really important???

I bet that you do.  I can virtually promise you that this simple little technique will go a long way towards changing your life.

"Ditch the television."

Yup.  That's it.  Get rid of your tv.  Even just putting it in the spare room, unplugged makes a big difference.  It's amazing to notice how empty you feel at first.  A bit lost.  I mean what's the point of sitting on the sofa if there's no tv to watch???  Takes  a little while to get used to (about a week).  I played some old records and often have the radio on to provide some background noise.

Things I've noticed. 

• My wife and I talk more. 
• I get more work done.
• I make more time for activity.
• I get time to read more books (for work and for pleasure).
• I even picked up the phone and called a friend.

Why don't you give it a go and please tell me what happens to your life when you do. 

Happy days!!