By Andrew Jackson, President BravoTECH

The good news this quarter is that the economy is improving and productivity is on the rise. The bad news is that, as one of the articles in this issue indicates, job hopping may be on the rise. According to Razor Suleman, a consultant who helps corporations increase employee motivation, there could be an exodus of top performers as the economy turns around.

Why does this happen? During times of financial stress, companies tend to lay off some people and heap work on those that remain. Awards, bonuses and perks are often cut. Morale suffers. The talented team you spent years training and building may stay loyal for a time, but sooner or later, competitors will be calling your best talent. They may be vulnerable to promises of more money or better perks. During a recession, rising stars can feel neglected because they are not seeing continuous progress in their careers.

Experts say that turnover is one of the biggest costs to a corporation, yet it's also one of the least understood costs. As the job market improves, we need to be certain that we understand the risks of turnover and what we can do to minimize it. We might ask ourselves a few questions, such as:

•    How long has it been since we have had a team building activity, an offsite gathering or a morale-building event?
•    Do my employees have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and how they can succeed?
•    Do my supervisors have good management skills and do they communicate well with their teams?
•    Am I fully utilizing the skills of my people?  Do employees feel they are making a valuable contribution to our  mission?
•    Do we allow employees to speak freely about their concerns, and do we clearly communicate our objectives to them on a regular basis? 
•    Do employees have a clear understanding of how they can earn a salary increase or promotion (especially important if a salary freeze has been in place)?
•    Is this a fun place to work? What low-cost incentives or activities might make our employees happier at work?
•    What are we doing to fuel excitement about what we do and how we help our clients succeed?
•    Do I have regular one-on-one conversations with employees, so that I know what is going on with them?

People work for money, but their motivation and happiness are influenced by many different factors. Sometimes it is the little things that keep a team together. As we move into more profitable times, let’s try to hang on to our most valuable asset – our people.

If you have a comment or question, please feel free to contact me at ajackson@bravotech.com.