Retention

Almost three out of 10 employees actively distrust the senior leaders in their organisation, a new survey has found, with serious consequences for staff retention, employee well-being and organisational performance.

Having an unrelentingly positive view of life is all very well, but a new study suggests that it can also bring about unrealistic expectations that lead to frustration and unhappiness if they are not met.

Employers who invest in professional development but don't also offer their staff opportunities for advancement could be wasting their money and increasing their turnover rates, new research suggests.

Modern organisations, we're often told, are complex networks of knowledge, relationships and stakeholders. The organization is far larger than any one person – and so no-one is indispensible. Really?

When a competent member of staff decides to leave an employer, how much does it cost to replace them? According to research by PwC, the answer equates to approximately a year of that person's salary.

Employers in the UK and Ireland have the most disaffected workforces in Europe, according to a new survey, with almost half of staff in both countries planning on looking for a new job by the end of the year.

With a third of Americans saying they plan to look for a new job when the opportunity arises, many organizations face a big challenge if they are going to rebuild trust with their workforce and retain key staff.

In a sign of returning confidence, more Americans quit their jobs in the past three months than were laid off. So could employers soon see a stampede for the exit as their top performers quit for better opportunities elsewhere?

As we slowly begin to emerge from recession, a mass of disgruntled, unmotivated and disengaged workers will be trying to change jobs. But will this represent a threat to organizations or an opportunity?

With a gradual return to economic health, expect an explosive war for talent as employees become confident enough to turn their backs on wherever they have sheltered during the recession.

In these bad economic times, it makes a whole lot of sense that sensible organisations are continuing to place high importance on employee retention.

Companies risk losing their most recession-experienced executives as the global downturn bites, just at the point when they are crying out for a steady hand on the tiller.

Most managers would prefer to stick with someone they know, even if they are a pain to manage or not pulling their weight, rather than start over and hire a new face.

Here's a great, yet seemingly obvious, way to get more out of your people based on the simple premise that giving staff a real chance at advancement will also boost their morale and productivity.

Your company has important resources that are worth protecting. They're called experienced workers. If this sector of your workforce flies out the door tomorrow, their wisdom – and that of others - will follow

Why do organizations have so much trouble hanging onto talented people? At the heart of the problem is the fact that talent and their managers are often competitors who are each striving to climb the same ladder to higher levels of the organization.

The labor shortage in parts of Australia has reached a point where employers are trying to find any way to entice their staff to stay on the job - including good old-fashioned bribery.

How does an employer keep their best workers without offering them huge raises or spending a fortune increasing the benefits program?

A lack of career opportunities means that a third of American workers expect to quit their jobs by the end of the year.

Employees in booming Asian economies are demanding more money and better jobs - and they're happy to move and move again if they don't get what they want.

If you want to know how an apparently competent manager can preside over the destruction of team morale and productivity and the exodus of their best staff, this true story provides some salutary lessons.

Workers in Europe and Asia may have itchier feet than their counterparts in the U.S, but American employers still have plenty to worry about.

Senior British managers claim they are happy enough with their jobs and salaries, yet that hasn't stopped more than a quarter of them looking for a new job in the past year.

Accurate job descriptions are like stealth secret weapons for hiring, training, and retaining great employees. I guarantee whatever effort you put forth will save you hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars.

For many human resources professionals, one wish that might well appear near the top of their list of new year's resolutions is to reduce employee turnover in the year ahead.

China's economy may be booming, but its managers are increasingly dissatisfied with their lot and ready to jump ship if they don't get what they want.

Germans, French and Greeks swear by it. The British and Irish think it is over-rated. And for Americans it is virtually unheard of. What are we talking about? Job loyalty, of course.

As you may have noticed, they're demanding, don't take kindly to authority, expect high salaries and rapid promotion but want to work flexibly. Welcome to the "Generation Y" workforce.

Employers complain about not being able to hang on to top-performers, yet most don't make any effort to understand why staff join or leave.

Few British managers are enlightened enough to encourage an atmosphere where workers feel free to discuss their aspirations.

Look around the average workplace and it's a sobering thought that the proportion of employees who are uncommitted and likely to leave within two years outnumbers those who are truly loyal.

Only a minority of American employers go the extra mile to help recruits settle in to their new jobs, meaning many walk out the door within a year.

The granting of stock remains one of corporate America's most powerful financial thank-yous, with some executive teams now owning as much as eight per cent of the company.

So, can it be proven just how much a bad boss can affect a working environment? A study from Florida State University has attempted to quantify exactly that.

So what is Microsoft's secret weapon in the battle to attract the brightest and best minds from across the globe? The answer is cricket.

Has it ever struck you that the way organisations behave when they are attempting to retain staff is very similar to the way that mobile phone and utility companies carry on when they're threatened with the possibility of losing a customer?

Nearly half of American executives are preparing to quit within the year, a new survey claims. And with firms competing hard for talent, they won't have to look far for pastures new.

It ought to be common knowledge, but it probably bears repeating: People leave their managers more often than they leave companies and jobs. Which means that throwing money at them won't persuade them to stay.

As efforts to find and hang on to suitable employees become increasingly desperate, a third of British businesses now offer "golden hellos" to new managers, double the number of 12 months ago.

They might claim that talent management is a top priority, but British management simply isn't doing what it takes to nurture their people and could be facing a critical shortage of star performers within three to five years.

Faced with the twin challenges of an ageing workforce and rampant skills shortages, how to keep, manage and attract the best talent will be the most critical HR challenge facing European businesses over the next eight years.

They charge huge fees for telling you how to run your business better, but perhaps management consultants should look in their own back yard. Because some are losing more than a third of their staff each year.

Almost eight out of 10 British businesses found it a struggle last year to hang on to their staff, and the situation appears to be getting worse.

Millions of people in the UK are planning to take a career sabbatical thanks to a growing acknowledgement by employers that taking an extended break from the rat race can actually be a good thing.

The war for talent around the world is getting worse, with managers forced to "sell" jobs to scarce candidates to get them on board, only to find that nearly a third will leave for a better offer within six months.

It's quite simple: American workers want their company benefits programme to look after them when they fall ill and when they retire. But more often they not, they feel let down and frustrated at how little help and support their company is offering.

Whether you call it "job shock" or the "six month itch", the fact is that a significant proportion of new hires head for the door almost as soon as they have walked in, with many employers losing as many as a quarter within their first year.

There are signs of a dramatic shift of balance in America's workplaces as bosses throw financial caution to the wind and shower money and benefits on their key staff in an ever-more desperate battle to stop them leaving.

Despite the fact that HR professionals believe that retention is their top business challenge, there is more evidence that they have little idea what it is that motivates staff to stay or go.

The big accountancy firms in the U.S. are keen to trumpet their adoption of work-life balance and flexible working arrangements. But look more closely and this new-found concern for their employees is revealed as little more than window dressing.

Beware. It may feel like you only hired them yesterday, but that talented person you hired back in the fall is already starting to get itchy feet - and it's only going to get worse.

Many employers in Asia-Pacific are at risk of losing their most talented people as disillusionment with career prospects and management styles leads them to look for opportunities elsewhere.

European organisations are going to find recruiting the right staff a struggle in 2007, with the situation being made worse by a major gulf between the expectations of employers and those of job seekers.

With retention problems growing and four out of 10 U.S. hiring managers expecting to increase their headcounts, the new year looks like bringing with it bigger paychecks, more opportunities for promotion and a greater sensitivity to work-life balance issues.

The New Year has traditionally been one of the most popular times to move jobs, but with three quarters of U.S workers saying they want a change, 2007 is likely to be even busier than usual

Your managers may wish you a Happy New Year as they drift off home for Christmas this week, but a fifth of them are planning to jump ship next year.

After going to all the time and expense of recruiting a new executive, many organisations admit that they are failing to help them settle in and come up to speed as well as they ought to.

It may seem like only yesterday that you hired them, but six months down the line nearly half of workers think they deserve to be promoted. What's more, many will jump ship if they don't move up the ladder.

Employers in the U.S. are out of sync with their staff over the role that pay and benefits play in recruitment, retention and employee engagement - and organisations are losing talent as a result.

The explosion in internet recruitment sites has created a generation of job flirts whose loyalty to their employer is quick to evaporate and who are always on the lookout for the next career opportunity.