Printer Friendly Version                                    Back to Capsules    Work Environment To retain talent, you need a work environment that is a comfortable and enjoyable place for people to be. It must be a community that employees choose to belong to and one where they feel stimulated. That involves overcoming several challenges: Proper Management You, and your supervisors, must be capable of managing a diverse workforce. That means handling romances between men and women (or same sex couples) who meet at work; being sensitive to different cultures; and keeping the various generations that congregate in today's workplace - with their different value systems - happy. You must make sure your supervisors are capable of inspiring and leading your employees, rather than turning them off and prompting them to leave, as too often is the case with weak supervisors. It's no longer sufficient to promote people and assume they can handle the job. You need to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your supervisors, and spend time and money to train them so that they operate effectively in what is a very difficult job. You must make sure your supervisors are capable of coaching subordinates. To be effective coaches, they need credibility with staff, the desire to coach, the skill to coach, and the capacity to coach. If they don't have one of those four prerequisites, you need to help them get it. Alternatively, as in sports, you can try appointing a "captain" from the ranks, somebody who is well respected and can act as a go-between, offering support to your supervisor in dealing with colleagues. Good Communication You must make sure all the supervisors are capable of communicating effectively with employees. That includes giving praise, which too often is forgotten. Empowerment You must make sure that employees feel empowered in your workplace - that they believe they have scope to take initiative and control the basic elements of their job. That involves sharing information and making clear the boundaries within which individuals are permitted to act with autonomy and those where they aren't. In some companies, that will also involve setting up self-directed teams. Fun Workplace You must make sure that employees find the workplace an enjoyable - even fun - place to be. That will mean showing that you care, taking the lead in developing a community flavour and allowing employees to add their own touches. Together, proper management practices, good communication, empowerment, and a fun workplace can help you to retain staff and in the process give you an edge over competitors. If you would like more information on Work Environments, please contact us.