Career Coach-Executive Search Specialist

Career Coach and Executive Search Specialist, Fiona Wainrit explores five ways to retain top talent.

It’s amazing just how many highly experienced and qualified executives I have met over the years who are unsatisfied at work. I’ve spent countless hours exploring why this occurs and looking for patterns. If we are discovering ways to retain talent, it is important to understand why these individuals change jobs in the first place.

The reasons are unique and can range from a personality clash or conflict of values, to feeling undervalued by the organisation, to not being challenged enough. In some cases, they may have reached a stage in life where their priorities have changed. This can include no longer wanting to work long hours, not wanting

Think about footy players who change teams because their team hasn’t notched up enough wins. To encourage high performance, good work needs to be recognised and rewarded. Monetary bonuses are nice, but recognition of a job well done goes a long way to creating good will and loyalty. Recognition needs to be specific: “Good job” is acceptable, but “Great work on the Boral project” is better. In order to retain talent, you must make them feel appreciated, respected and worthwhile. Recent studies show that when employees feel undervalued and unappreciated, they look for other employment. Feedback and praise must be sincere. Top talent is smart enough to know the difference between sincere appreciation and

5. Create a stimulating work environment- Your employees need to feel like an asset to your company and secure in their job.

Show genuine interest: Greet them by name and acknowledge their contributions to the company.

Involve them in the process: Get their input about procedures or changes.

Empower them: Encourage goal setting and let them make their own choices as often as possible.

Align benefits to them: When it comes to change, communicate the WHY and the benefits to them.

Whilst not everyone will love every single aspect of their job, ensure there is some challenging and stimulating work. Tap into their passion and allow them to focus their time and energy on projects they can enjoy. This will in turn lead to increased productivity.

Actively and effectively engaging employees builds the foundation for success. You can’t stop people from moving on in their careers, but if you can get a good run out of a top performer, then the return on investment is immeasurable. You'll be rewarded, not only with a strong employee retention rate, but also with loyal employees who contribute to your organisation's success - for the