Effective employee retention strategies, key to reduce attrition in BPO firms

Intelligent employers always realise the importance of retaining the best talent. Retaining talent has never been so important in the Indian scenario; however, things have changed in recent years. In prominent Indian metros at least, there is no dearth of opportunities for the best in the business, or even for the second or the third best. Retention of key employees and treating attrition troubles has never been so important to companies.

In an intensely competitive environment, where HR managers are poaching from each other, organisations can either hold on to their employees tight or lose them to competition. For gone are the days, when employees would stick to an employer for years for want of a better choice. Now, opportunities abound.

It is a fact that, retention of key employees is critical to the long-term health and success of any organisation. The performance of employees is often linked directly to quality work, customer satisfaction, increased product sales and even to the image of a company. Whereas the same is often indirectly linked to, satisfied colleagues and reporting staff, effective succession planning and deeply embedded organisational knowledge and learning.

Employee retention matters, as, organisational issues such as training time and investment, costly candidate search etc., are involved. Hence, failing to retain a key employee is a costly proposition for any organisation. Various estimates suggest that losing a middle manager in most organisations, translates to a loss of up to five times his salary. This might be worse for BPO companies where fresh talent is intensively trained and inducted and then further groomed to the successive stages. In this scenario, the loss of a middle manager can often prove dear.

Why people leave
In an industry like BPO, the work can often be monotonous and opportunities for career growth minimal. So when opportunities beckon, the high rate of attrition is not surprising. However, there are some common reasons that especially cause people to leave. Surveys have listed night shifts, money, inability to handle various types of stress, monotonous work; company policies, lack of career growth, problems with those in senior positions etc., as some of the most common reasons listed by BPO employees, as reasons for quitting jobs.

Finding the cause
Have a survey among employees to find the reasons for attrition. If possible, have exit interviews to know the reasons for resignations. If a key employee resigns, it should be taken up on a priority basis and the senior management should meet the employee to discuss his reasons for leaving and evaluate whether his issues bear merit and whether they can be resolved. Steps can be taken to avoid similar reasons from occurring in the case of others, in similar positions.

What can be done?
Though, it is impossible to scrap problems totally, there are certain ways by which BPO managements can tackle attrition. Since the BPO environment is unique, these companies need to develop innovative ways to tackle them. Human Resources department of a BPO must address these issues, and along with the management need to evolve strategies to retain employees at all levels.

At the time of Recruitment
• Select the right people through competency screening.
• Use psychometric tests to get people who can work at night and handle the monotony.
• Offer an attractive, competitive, benefits package.
• Make clear of performance enhanced incentives and other benefits. Keep these promises, later.
• BPOs can set up offices in smaller towns, or recruit from there, where opportunities are few.

At the office
• An employees work must be communicated to him clearly and thoroughly. The details of the job, its importance, the way it should be done, maximum time that can be allotted to complete it etc., must be made clear. If there are changes to any of these, let the employee know at the earliest.

• Give the employees necessary tools, time and training. The employee must have the tools, time and training necessary to do their job well - or they will move to an employer who provides them.

• Have a person to talk to each employee at regular intervals. Listen and solve employee complaints and problems, as much as possible. Fairness and impartial treatment by seniors is important. Help employees manage stress, both at work and if possible, off work too. Give them special concessions, when in need. Treat the employees well & provide dignity of job.

• The quality of the supervision an employee receives is critical to employee retention. Frequent employee complaints arise on this issue.

• Provide the employees a stress free work environment. People want to enjoy their work. Make work and work place cheerful and fun-filled as possible.

• Make sure that employees know that their work is important for the organisation. Feeling valued by their employer is key to high employee motivation and morale. Recognize their strengths and help them to improve those they lack.

• Employees must feel rewarded, recognised and appreciated. Giving periodical raise in salary or position helps to retain staff.

• Offer excellent career growth prospects. Encourage & groom employees to take up higher positions/openings. If they dont get opportunity for growth within the organisation, they will look elsewhere for it.

• Work-life balance initiatives are important. Innovative and practical employee policies pertaining to flexible working hours and schemes, granting compassionate and urgency leave, providing healthcare for self, family and dependants, etc. are important for most people. Work-life balance policies would have a positive impact on retaining skilled employees, as well as on attracting high-calibre recruits.

• Implement competency models, which are well integrated, with HR processes like selection & recruitments, training, performance appraisal and potential appraisal.

Night shifts
1. Have doctors to advise them about health problems and the ways and means to deal with them. Provide dietary advice: - Dos and donts. Help them to maintain their health.

2. Organise programmes where people from other professions, who have night shifts talk to BPO employees about their experiences. Other organisations like Army, Railways, Hospitals and various government services etc., also have night shifts.

3. Organise training, counselling and development programmes for employees. Tell them that their work is important. Encourage the best performers to share their experiences with others and guide others. The emphasis is to create the desire to learn, enjoy and be passionate about the work they do.

4. If needed, provide special lights in the office/workplace to ensure that their bodies get sufficient vitamin D.

5. One distinct disadvantage of night shifts is the sense of disorientation with friends and family members. Concentrate on this problem and develop innovative solutions and ways to deal with it. Additional holidays for work on national holidays and festivals, holidays for family functions etc., can go a long way.

Conclusion
As they say, happiness can be contagious. So make sure the work place is a happy one, which every employee would love to spend time. Human resources department along with senior management must take steps to make sure of this.

Effective human resource management must be practiced at both strategic and day-to-day levels. HR management practices must reflect company policy as to how it will manage and relate to its employees. The HR strategy should evolve from a transactional support role to partnering in the organisations business strategy. HR must take steps to be aware of employee problems and try to solve them, creatively.