Women in Agriculture Educators’
Conference
Baltimore, MD
March 23-25, 2010
Employee Turnover-Symptom or Disease?
Chuck Schwartau
University of Minnesota Extension
cschwart@umn.edu
Turnover:
It’s Really a Lack
of Retention
Teaching Hint
Good place to use Turning Point™
1. How many employees on your farm?
2. In the last two years, we have lost one or more
employees we would really like to have kept.
Why Do Employees Leave?
Signs of Low Morale
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excessive absenteeism or tardiness
high turnover
poor work quality
increasing number of errors in work
necessity to re-do work frequently
lack of enthusiasm about work
jealousy or fighting among staff members
complaints from customers about service
The Business Owner's Toolkit ™
http://www.toolkit.com
Perceptions of Factors Affecting
Morale
Employees'
Rank
Item
Employer's
Rank
1
(6)
Interesting work
5
2
(1)
Appreciation and recognition
8
3
(2)
Feeling "in on things"
10
4
(4)
Job security
2
5
(5)
Good wages
1
6
(7)
Promotion/growth
3
7
(9)
Good working conditions
4
8
(8)
Personal loyalty
6
9
(10)
Tactful discipline
7
10
(3)
Sympathetic help with problems
9
Niebrugge, Vicki, Declining Employee Morale: Defining the Causes and Finding the Cure, NOVA Group
(report of same apparent survey at Univ. of AL HRM Conference – 2009)
Factors Affecting Employee Morale
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treated fairly
valued and appreciated for their work
recognized for their work
paid a fair wage for their work
doing work that is important
Positive Actions
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Hire right in the first place!
Orientation
Training
Personal contact
Positive feedback
Opportunity for personal and professional growth
Support some outside activities
Family and cultural considerations
Recognition
Flexibility in work schedules
Employee engagement
The Business Owner's Toolkit ™
http://www.toolkit.com and others
Recognition Options – Low Cost
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Write personal notes to employees
Create a "year in review" booklet
Give courtesy time off
Give credit when credit is due
Put up a bulletin board
Have a "Friday surprise"
Get a traveling trophy
The Business Owner's Toolkit ™
http://www.toolkit.com
Retention Strategies
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Pay competitive wages/salaries
Provide flexibility
Champion longevity
Respect employees
Increase and improve communications
Pay retention bonuses
http://www.hrtools.com/
Starting Retention at Hiring
Employees with <2 years experience
are twice as likely to leave as
employees with >2 years
experience
Sirota Survey Intelligence
Determinants of Job Satisfaction
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Achievement
Recognition
The work itself
Responsibility
Advancement
--Herzberg et al
Other influences
• Herzberg’s “hygiene factors”
– Company policy and administration
– Technical aspects of supervision
– Salary
– Interpersonal relationships (boss and peer)
– Working conditions
» Herzberg et al
Avoiding Unnecessary Turnover
Motivated bosses inspire motivated employees
No one can give an
unmotivated person
motivation
Motivation comes from
wanting to do
something
REMEMBER
If they know you think they can
do a first class job, they will
strive to do their best for you.
Have confidence in
your staff & let them
know it
PRAISE OFTEN
Agriculture ITO – Managing
Your Team, 2007
Worker Satisfaction
• Talk to employees regularly in both formal
and informal settings
• Conduct deliberate surveys of employees
– Might want to use outside people to conduct the
interviews so privacy can be maintained
Costs of Turnover
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Upsets routine
Costs of hiring temporary replacements
Costs of recruiting/selecting/hiring new employees
Time to train new employees
Costs of the employee who leaves mentally but
keeps coming to work
• Makes animals uncomfortable
• May affect health and safety of animals
Reduce Turnover with Exit Interviews
• Is there an immediate reason the employee
is leaving?
• Are there some things that could be changed
that might have enticed the employee to
stay?
• What was good about working on a farm?
• Do they have suggestions that might help
the farm?
Minimize Turnover by Hiring Right in
the First Place!
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Hire the right amount of labor for the needs
Hire the right skills in your people
Hire people with the right attitude
Be clear with applicants and employees
what you expect and then be consistent
Some Reasons for Turnover
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Work scheduled changed
Incentive system not clearly understood
Job is no longer ‘fun’
Working conditions changed
Training was not thought out or followed
through
• Poor communications
Lash, 1998: NPPC Employee Relations Conference
Lash, 1998; NPPC Employee Relations Conference
Positive Aspects of Turnover
• Turnover isn’t always bad!
• Helps bring in fresh ideas
• May be the key to changing attitudes among
employees
• Provides an opportunity to re-align staff and
tasks on the farm
“I don’t worry about hiring a great
employee and having him leave in three
months. I worry about hiring a bad
employee and having him stay for three
years.”
“Selecting Employees that Fit”
Sarah Fogelman, KSU
Thanks for your kind attention
Chuck Schwartau
University of Minnesota Extension
cschwart@umn.edu