SECRETS TO BECOMING A PREFERRED EMPLOYER

(Summary of participants' ideas at AMEX Chicago Conference October 2005)

From large corporations to small businesses, the ability to keep valued employees around year after year is becoming an ongoing challenge. Successful companies develop a multi-pronged approach to recruitment and retention of valued employees. Being able to understand why employees leave is a great place to start learning how to retain them. With lack of better pay, benefits, new challenges, development and recognition topping the list of reasons why employees leave their current positions it is obvious where employers need to start. While most companies might be reluctant to start rethinking salaries there are some small ideas that have a big impact on employees. Understanding and implementing the Seven Keys to Becoming a Preferred Employer offers any business, large or small, the basic tools necessary to build higher employee motivation and morale.

The Value of Small Business:

The US Small Business Administration says that small businesses create two of every three new jobs, produce 39% of the gross national product, and invent more than half the nation's technological innovation. Small business owners and their workers are focused and immensely proud of what they do and are passionate about their businesses. They also learn to be risk takers and innovators.

Small business owners and their key employees are masters of dozens of disciplines and perform their intricate balancing act like pros. They know that their ability to make rapid decisions and implement course corrections is their key to success. Their advantages of leanness, maneuverability, innovation, and customer focus mold them into steady enterprises that earn a significant return on investment year after year after year.

The values of small business that stood out the most between the three seminars in Chicago represent these facts. Flexibility and the personal aspects of small business were both mentioned at all three seminars. Other input included:

" Access to management
" Employees are more capable of making a difference
" Quick decisions and fewer rules

The Value of Travel Business:

The number of jobs in the travel industry is increasing at the rate of some 50,000 a year and tourism is slowly becoming one of the most important industries in the world. Even as one the world's leading industries most travel businesses are still small businesses.

The work of travel industry employees is essential to the operation of the industry because it is through them that reservations are made, travel products and services are sold, customer problems are solved and tours are conducted. Working in the travel industry is hard work--but rewarding, and the potential for advancement is very likely for the dedicated and determined employee.

The travel industry has its own benefits that set it apart from most other industries. These benefits allow travel industry employees to explore many different aspects that make not only a travel business great, but also a small business great. The benefits of the travel industry that were mentioned at the three seminars in Chicago included the actual travel and discounted travel benefits and the creativity allowed at work. The challenging aspects of travel related jobs were also a top benefit relayed at the seminars.

Why do people change jobs?

Our teams discussed factors that affect staff retention and recruiting. Studies suggest the average person entering the workplace today will have worked for at least five different firms by the time they retire. Of the 1600 employees polled, a quarter say they expect to spend just a year or less in their job, with under half (49%) planning to spend less than three years in their current role. The study also says one-fifth (19%) of employees are unhappy in their current job, with a further 33% considering their future.

According to recent findings, the key reasons for people leaving their jobs are:

1. Better pay/benefits elsewhere (39%).
2. New challenges (33%).
3. Opportunities for career progression/promotion (28%).
4. Lack of recognition for current contribution (20%).
5. Lack of development opportunities in current role (20%).

Our theory was that if employers understand the needs and wants of their staff they can create an attractive workplace. Benefits to a pleasant and happy workplace are that happy employees are more loyal and productive employees. The absenteeism and tardiness rate may decrease as people look forward to going to work. The turnover rate may decrease, as employees feel content and loyal to an organization.

The challenge at work is to create an environment in which people are motivated about work priorities. Feeling valued by their supervisor in the workplace is the key to high employee motivation and morale. Feeling valued ranks right up there for most people with liking the work, competitive pay, opportunities for training and advancement, and feeling "in" on the latest news. Building high employee motivation and morale is both challenging and yet supremely simple.

The seminar groups in Chicago brainstormed over the Seven Keys to Becoming a Preferred Employer. These Seven Keys are:

1) Work/Life Balance
2) Staff Responsibility/Control of Own Work
3) Show Respect & Appreciation
4) Have a Clear Path to Growth/Supportive Supervision
5) Training/Opportunities to Grow
6) Equitable Benefits/Compensation
7) Nurture a Corporate Culture That Fits/Fun

Workers in the United States tend to work longer average annual actual hours than most advanced industrial economies, according to 2002 data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. To encourage a balance between the office and family is one of the top ways to retain employees and make the office environment more enjoyable. Flexible schedules, paid time off, working from home with virtual offices and setting one's own hours are just four simple ideas that the seminar members mentioned could help them with their work/life balance.

Employee control over work can reduce stress and enhance motivation and growth. Several key findings have prompted employers to search for ways to give workers a greater sense of control, to improve health, productivity and morale. Allowing employees to work within a team to get tasks done, to take direct action to improve client relations, and to have more control with where and when they work all contribute to staff responsibility.

Although many people claim they are quitting for a better paying job elsewhere, survey after survey shows that a lack of appreciation and recognition is a primary reason why people quit their jobs. To begin programs that express appreciation for employees can be as simple as a pizza party or thank you card with gift certificate. One member of the seminar group shared the way that she appreciated her employees. From the first day on the job she would observe her new employee and take notes on the employee's actions and accomplishments. On the one year anniversary of the employees hire date she would present them with a personal letter commending the employee for all the success that person had over the year. It was those very notes she had kept from the beginning that made it possible for her to recall the minute details and let her employees know that when they did something well, even something small, someone was watching and appreciating it. These are some other ideas from the seminar to help with employee appreciation:

" Pot lucks
" Time off with a day off certificate to win
" Pizza or lunch
" Gift certificates
" Public praise
" Balloons to pop to find notes for prizes or money
" Birthday cards
" Air tickets,
" Public and private thank you
" Recommendations from coworkers for recognition

In supportive supervision the primary problem is worker morale and job satisfaction. Workers are seen as facing a variety of job-related stresses which, unless they have help to deal with them, could seriously affect their work and lead to a less than satisfactory service to clients. For the worker there is ultimately the problem of 'burnout'. Many individuals at the seminar were interested in supervisors who knew them and their interests. They also wanted employers to provide clearer instruction on how to grow within the company and regular updates concerning the company itself like profitability and sales growth.

Jobs are becoming increasingly complicated and higher levels of education are required for new employees. At the same time induction training for those taking on new jobs is becoming shorter. Most jobs since the 1990s have become more complex. While this makes it reasonable to demand that employees have a good level of education, it would also be reasonable to expect new employees to be given a longer period of induction training to get to grips with their new tasks. There were some very popular ideas to improve training on the job and in the workplace:

" Destination specialists courses together
" Trainer comes in on Saturday
" Web training

With health care costs rising and company benefits on the decline there was almost a singular opinion on this topic. The participants all agreed they wanted good benefits and wanted the company to contribute more to them. In an age where taking care of your employees has gone out of style, mostly due to extreme costs, company benefits is the one area where most will agree they need the most support. From healthcare to child care, company's benefits help retain employees for the long haul.

A culture is the values and practices shared by the members of the group. Company Culture, therefore, is the shared values and practices of the company's employees. Companies with an adaptive culture that is aligned to their business goals routinely outperform their competitors. Some studies report the difference at 200% or more. Here are some characteristics of company cultures that others have used successfully.

" Fully empowered employees
" High integrity workplace
" Strong trust relationships
" Highly effective leadership
" Effective systems and processes
" Performance-based compensation and reward programs
" Customer-focused
" Effective 360-degree communications
" Commitment to learning and skill development
" High degree of adaptability
" High accountability standards
" Demonstrated support for innovation

With a better understanding of why employees value the small travel business and what they want from their careers, employers now have the tools to create an efficient and desirable workplace. Working in the travel industry is hard work, even for the dedicated and determined employee--but rewarding benefits create content employees that are more loyal and productive. Using the Seven Keys to Becoming a Preferred Employer will help any small business owner retain those valued employees. From work/life balance, appreciation, growth opportunities and equitable benefits, the seven keys provides a usable plan to developing a happy work environment.

For more information, please email the facilatator, Marty Robinson, at
marty@travelcareernetwork.com .

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