Survey sez:

• 93% Percentage of leaders who think retaining key employees is even more important during an economic downturn than it is in a robust economy.
• 68% Percentage of companies that maintain a list of key employees they need to retain.
• Source: PDI

Attention: It’s the retention!

In survey after survey, employees say that it’s the little things—like Sabbaticals, family leave programs, and flextime—that matter most when it comes to job satisfaction.

Sadly, most can’t get no satisfaction. Because too many corporations and Daddy Warbucks types get all greedy when it comes time to make people happy. Too bad. Because people who LIKE their jobs often don’t mind working 55-hour weeks. That’s especially true if they know that after, say, 7 years, they get few months Big Break.

In a downturn, it may seem silly to worry about retention. Won’t most people just stay put rather than risk being jobless? Well, no. Good employees think long-term. And good employers are always on the hunt.

So what’s a great way to make people want to stay? Reward them for staying. That means pay, bonuses, perks, and bennies, of course. But moreso, it also means time off.

Stay here 7 years and meet a few other conditions, and we’ll let you take some time to chase a dream, learn something new (perhaps even job-related) and come back refreshed and ready to get back to work.