At first, these tips from New Jersey's Dale Carnegie Training may seem
quaint, entirely irrelevant to African communities, and only relevant anywhere
when the economy is booming and employees have a choice about where they can
work. However, they are exceedingly relevant, because national governments in Nigeria, Kenya,
Sierra Leone
are not following the basic principles of keeping their health employees happy.
We know this in MJoTA because health employees are leaving
their jobs and their countries. Physicians and nurses and pharmacists and
dentists having been leaving their countries all across Africa and coming to
the United States since 1990s, leaving behind countries without the number of
health professionals they need.
From Anita
Zinsmeister, President of Dale Carnegie® Training of Central and Southern NJ
“6 Tips For Keeping Your
Employees Loyal:
1. Hire The Finest - Most employers would like
to think they are hiring the best man (or woman) for the job, but sometimes,
for the sake of filling the position in a timely manner, shortcuts may be
taken. Ask for personal and business references and call them.
If a reference is no longer available, ask the potential employee to provide
another contact number or a new reference. Also, check social networking
sites. If you find pictures of wild parties or posts of complaints about
their estranged former employer, they are probably not your best choice.
2. Provide A Motivating And Informative Orientation
- First impressions always last. Give new hires a detailed history
of the company using positive messages and photographs. Use your
most up-beat manager with an engaging personality as your
presenter. Spend time preparing interactive games or icebreakers so your
employees are not bored with the material. Provide manuals and contact
information for departments and managers so your new employees will not feel
they have been thrown to the dogs.
3. Provide Support - Employees will appreciate
opportunities for relevant on-going education to show that you want them to
succeed. Recognize achievements and contributions and offer incentives
for improving job performance. Provide mentors for departmental questions
and comprehensive support that includes coping and problem-solving
skills. When possible, offer health benefit and retirement
packages. Most of all, be approachable so your employees feel like they
are working for a person and not a machine.
4. Manage Your Workplace - While you cannot be
present every moment of every day in every department, you can manage your
managers. Keep your eye out for harassment and power trips. Create
a checks and balances system by having employees fill out questionnaires or
randomly inquiring in different departments to keep managers on their
toes. Retrain or get rid of managers that are bringing down the
morale of your employees or not performing up to par.
5. Know Your Employees As People - One of the
worst things you can do is treat your employees as machines. They are
people with lives and families, just like you. You can assume that their
lives outside the workplace are important to them. Show that you care by
asking questions without seeming meddling. If you see a change in job
performance, ask if there is anything you can do to help. Also, ask them
to be honest about their job satisfaction, and in turn be honest with them if
you have any concerns. Show them how they contribute to the whole picture
and you care about their happiness in their position. If it is possible
to be flexible with scheduling, give them the hours that they may need to tend
to their lives outside the office.
6. Know Your Competition - Do some research
periodically and find out who is hiring. If you see a competitor
advertising a position and your employees have seemed less than happy, then you
may end up being the one advertising for a new employee. Local job
opportunities or the business section of a newspaper can offer a lot of
information about your competition.
Executive Summary: Keeping your employees content is
a separate facet of what you do in your business but also an important aspect
of running it. With diverse opportunities available, today’s highly
competent employees are less likely to remain in a position where they are
dissatisfied or feel their efforts are not appreciated or taken for
granted. We are now a society that values self-worth, and if your
employees do not feel they are making positive contributions, they may move on.
Quote of the Week: “When employees and employers, even
coworkers, have a commitment to one another, everyone benefits.” Donald Trump “ "
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