Retaining your team: Is your organization a compelling place to work?

I listened to a short “teaser” webcast today for an upcoming conference. Even though the conference isn’t on my list of “must-dos” this year, I loved the title of the session:

“Will they stay or will they stray: Strategies that engage people with programs and organizations.”

The point of the presentation is to get organizations to look at their retention strategies now – when they don’t have to – to prepare for the inevitable next phase when their very survival will depend on retaining valuable human assets.

One of the key points the speaker made was simply this: what makes your company a compelling employer is much the same as what makes e-learning for your team a compelling business decision today.

Did I lose you on that statement? Ask yourself these questions:

Is your company merely “compliant”? That is, does it deliver the essential product the employee needs to stay there – a paycheck – or it is a compelling place to work, engaging the heart and soul of the team?

Are you focused on simply sustaining business as usual (please, God, don’t let it be less than that) – or are you focused on business: better?

Are you taking this respite from rapid expansion and acquisition to focus on the intangibles of business – the very things that will help you achieve long-term success: quality service, keeping customers, building loyalty?

Are you targeting a strategic plan for managing risk and achieving 100% compliance with regulations, company-wide?

Do you bring in high-caliber (high-cost) trainers for that special session on leadership development or are you creating a sustainable culture of learning and personal/professional growth within your organization?

Does every single member of your team – every shift, every location – have clarity of purpose in their job?

It’s an excellent time to take a measure of your organization – and your approach to building the best team possible.

Are you – is your training – compelling? Or merely compliant? At the end of the day, it may well determine if you get your best and brightest human assets to stay – or whether they’ll chose to stray.