Struggling with High Turnover? How Can I Uncover and Address Employee Dissatisfaction?

Dear Seniors,

I am working in a small firm with 15 employees, but the retention rate here is very low. Every now and then, people leave this organization. In the last 2 months, 6 employees have left. I recently joined this organization, and I am concerned about the high turnover rate. I want to reduce this as much as possible. However, in my short time here, I have observed that the management is very conservative. I have spoken with employees and identified a few problems such as:

• There are no flexible working hours. In case of emergencies or personal issues, the management insists on strict 10-6 timings, which frustrates the employees. They are willing to complete their hours but need flexibility in their in/out times during urgent situations.

• Employees do not receive tea refreshments from the management and have to spend on tea during working hours.

• Employees feel the need for training from a dedicated trainer, but the management provides training only through website videos.

• Employees do not receive Diwali sweets.

• Leave is paid at the end of the year.

• Apart from the 21 days of privilege leave granted once a year, employees only receive 4 optional holidays and 4 mandatory holidays (such as May 1st, January 26th, August 15th, and October 2nd), which they find insufficient.

This was a general friendly conversation, but being new here, I may not know all the facts or the real reasons behind the issues.

How to Address Employee Dissatisfaction and Low Retention

How can I determine the causes of unhappiness and the low retention rate in the organization? How can I encourage my employees to open up and share the real reasons for their dissatisfaction? What can I do to make our workplace the best place to work? How can I motivate them to contribute to the company's growth? Moreover, how can I convince the management about the necessary changes?

Regards,
Sawant

First and foremost, why have you not written your first name? Gone are the days when we were only concerned with the surname. Since you have only mentioned your surname, I was compelled to add "Mr." before that.

It is noteworthy that since joining, you have conducted an analysis of staff exits. The issue of staff attrition frequently arises for discussion. In any case, you may refer to my previous post or reply:

<link outdated-removed>

Early Warning System to control attrition

In addition to analyzing staff exits, it is important to calculate the cost of attrition as well. Present to your management the estimated losses resulting from staff attrition. If they acknowledge the reality, that is well and good; if not, then simply reconcile with them. Furthermore, your analysis does not touch upon the topic of incorrect recruitment. Are unsuitable candidates being hired for the job? Additionally, stinginess is identified as one of the causes of staff turnover. However, it may not be the sole reason.

Ok...

Dinesh V. Divekar

You have suggested two solutions: one is to study attrition, and another is to conduct an Employee Satisfaction Survey (ESS). However, conducting an ESS is not child's play. To conduct an ESS, the organization needs to be mature, and the staff need to be mature.