Page 230 - Retaining Top Employees
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                                 218    Retaining Top Employees


                                 the other hand, the more your retention activities are just “what
                                 we do here,” the more they will be sustained by day-to-day
                                 operations.
                                    Here are a few examples:
                                    • Include a “retention effect” assessment of compensation
                                       as part of the normal, annual, or periodic compensation
                                       review process.
                                    • Make the social calendar part of the regular responsibility
                                       of someone who already plans events—the press depart-
                                       ment (if you have one), the CEO’s assistant, or whoever
                                       plans training or other functions.
                                    • Make the availability of mentoring or coaching an inherent
                                       part of the standard performance review process.
                                    The more your retention strategy becomes part of the cul-
                                 ture and the less it stands out as something “other,” the better!

                                 Peer Group Maintenance
                                 Finally, as with all good systems, the best retention process is
                                        self-sustaining and self-maintaining.
                                                                      Regularly seek advice
                                          Transfer Ownership       and assistance from your
                                          The ideas that your top  top performers. How can
                                          performers will offer will  they help maintain the
                                  probably include those already sug-
                                                                   strategy? What processes
                                  gested above. But this is about more
                                                                   can they put in place? In
                                  than ideas. If the ideas come from
                                  your  employees,they’re  taking  owner-  what ways can they help
                                  ship of those ideas.That process is  assimilate the program
                                  much more likely to lead to sustained  into the warp and woof of
                                  implementation than if the ideas came  the organization? How can
                                  from  you,generated  and  imposed  they contribute to the pro-
                                  from above.                      gram’s longevity?

                                 And Finally…

                                 You’ve reached the end of what I trust was a rewarding and
                                 thought-provoking journey through the mind of your top
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