Keeping Interns Engaged: How Can We Motivate Them to Stay with Us?

We have offered a pre-placement offer to interns who have completed their internship. We are finding ways to engage them with work, and we don't want to lose them to other offers. What can motivate them, or what are the ways to engage them with us? Kindly address this.

Dear Pradeep,

I wish you had provided more information, such as the nature of your industry, the internship program in your company, its duration, and so on.

During the internship program, companies often identify potential and extend job offers. This is common across industries. However, your concern is quite the opposite: even after extending a job offer, will the interns join? The answer to this question depends on the organization's culture as perceived by the interns and the leadership qualities of the manager under whom the interns will work. It is essential for the interns to feel that there are learning opportunities in the company, supported by remuneration that aligns with market standards.

You might have already decided on the departments or sections within a department where the intern will work. However, this is the perception of your company's authority. I recommend giving them a chance to decide on the section or department. If you impose your decision on them, there could be a backlash. Once an agreement is reached, you need to go further and prepare a rough sketch of a career plan for them. The career path should be laid out for the next five years. This clarity will motivate the interns to choose your company.

General comments

The post highlights the changed job market scenario. Now, interns have many options. After completing an internship in company 'X', they are hopeful of securing a job in company 'Y'. This confidence exuded by the interns has reduced the dominance previously leveraged by companies.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

If you already have a high attrition rate, then you are starting behind the eight ball. You need to address those problems first.

Workplace Challenges

No one wants to work in an organization where senior management doesn't care about staff, there are too many micromanagers, there is bullying of staff by managers and co-workers, you don't pay market wages or better for the work required, the working environment is not conducive to happy productive workers, there is a lack of recognition for a job well done, a lack of advancement and promotional opportunities, a lack of training and development for all staff to build new skills, inflexible leave policies, and entrenched sexual harassment, racism, religious discrimination, and anti-LGBTI attitudes. Need I go on?

Engaging Interns

If you want the interns to stay, you need to give them good reasons why they should. Don't ask us what to do, ask the interns what they want.

Human resources are intangible assets of any organization and are developed at a significant cost in addition to the payment of take-home salary. Therefore, their retention is crucial for the smooth and continuous growth of the organization in terms of turnover and EBITA.

Factors influencing employee retention

Many factors are responsible for employee retention and are listed below in order of priority among the working staff:

1. Organization name and reputation in the market
2. Working environment & treatment of staff at different levels
3. Designation and reporting hierarchy
4. Opportunities for skill development through timely and regular training
5. Promotion policies
6. Recognition for good work done
7. Reward and penalty procedures
8. Salary & perquisites comparable to prevailing market rates and their tax effectiveness
9. Management’s attitude towards staff
10. Attendance and leave policy

Therefore, anyone facing high attrition rates or struggling with the retention of trained staff and/or apprentices should introspect based on the above points and make immediate corrections if there is an imbalance.

Redefining roles for employee satisfaction

An organization may accomplish the same work with fewer staff members at higher pay. For instance, an employee performing peon work designated as Peon could be titled as an Office Assistant. Similarly, an employee conducting clerical work designated as Clerk could be designated as an Executive Assistant. An employee supervising other clerical work, commonly known as Head Clerk, could be titled as an Executive.

Through such redefinitions, employees feel elevated in the eyes of their family members, relatives, and friends employed in other organizations. This is just a glimpse of the potential changes that can be made, and detailed adjustments can be tailored on a case-by-case basis.

Regards, Jawaharlal Moondra