Training your people is important. Once they are trained, you need to retain them.
Chances are if you offer the best training, you will not be the highest-paying option. How do you retain employees when your competitor pays more?
Money may not be the primary motivation for your employees. Once the bare necessities of food and shelter are met, they all have different needs. Your challenge Is to identify and fulfill those needs, while remaining profitable and productive.
Consider the hypothetical case of Rita, a top-notch, highly paid paralegal for a successful trial attorney. As a single mom, Rita could afford the best nannies and daycare. Unfortunately, her daughter was growing up fast and Rita was missing important school events.
One day after a trial, Rita was speaking to the opposing counsel about missing her daughters play. The attorney mentioned they had a flexible position open at his firm. She could tailor her schedule and could even work from home a few days a week. Unfortunately, they could not pay her nearly as much as she was used to. It did not take long for Rita to accept the new position. Spending quality time while her daughter was more important than the money.
In another case, a top computer technician turned down a government job with better pay and better benefits. Instead, he accepted a lower paying job because he would be challenged constantly, and every day would be different. He felt the government job would be extremely boring.
Finally, an employee took a job with a nearby competitor for less money. When asked why, he cited the fact they worked a 4/10 shifts (four days a week, 10 hours a day).
Each day he worked, he would leave a little earlier and get home a little later than normal, but that meant he avoided rush hour on every commute. It would cost less to drive back and forth to work, and he had three days off every week.
What motivates your employees?
