Retain Staff By Understanding Them

Staff retention has become a key issue for employers as many risk losing their best people now that economic confidence is returning. Often employers do not know why or if their staff may be considering leaving.

Employers should use staff tests to get the information they need about their employees to tailor support or development plans that boost retention, according to a press release from Questionmark, an online assessment provider.

In the United States, the Association for Talent Acquisition Professionals has reported that employee turnover is rising across many industries. In the United Kingdom, 48 percent of office workers have said they have found a new role, are actively looking, or will be leaving their job this year, according to research by recruitment software company Beamery.

There are many reasons why staff may want to leave. In healthcare, for example, more than half of workers who change jobs do so because they want a new challenge. Whatever the reason, staff turnover is expensive for employers. Lost productivity and knowledge alongside new hiring, training, and onboarding translate into costs of around a third of annual salary. So, firms that do not understand why their people may want to leave could face significant losses this year.

Staff assessments can be used to assess the skills and attitudes of the workforce. With this information, employers can create tailored and meaningful career development plans, increasing engagement.

Assessments and surveys can also reveal wellbeing issues among the workforce. Employers can then strengthen and tailor support accordingly.

“Workers may have stayed put during the pandemic. But as optimism and normality return, employers may lose their best staff," said Lars Pedersen, CEO of Questionmark. "Staff retention is becoming the number one issue firms face.

Personality and skills testing can really help attract new employees, too, as demonstrated by this recent story from Sanitary Maintenance.