An interesting post came into day from Killian Branding. It made the point that the role of health benefits in recruiting and retention may change profoundly when Obamacare is fully implemented in January. Healthcare will be portable with pre-existing conditions being automatically covered. Employees who are not emotionally engaged but who are “loyal” to your company because they are trapped by your healthcare benefits for one reason or another will be free to leave.

The role of engagement thus comes roaring to the forefront of recruiting and retention.

Authentic engagement is the answer to keeping employees when healthcare and benefits do not work as the “carrot” to keep their loyalty and authentic engagement is demonstrated by how you treat your people. If you were loyal to them in during the Great Recession, they will be loyal to you when healthcare changes turn things upside down.

One HR executive I spoke with had this to say:

“Healthcare has been just one of many factors that provides retention stability of a workforce.   The emotional connection that develops with their supervisor has the most profound impact on retention.  The emotional connection comes in many forms including the trust they build, the way they communicate, the manner in which they challenge and lead their people, etc.  Meaningful loyalty emerges from an assortment of factors  that includes healthcare but equally compelling are multiple facets of compensation levers, nature of their day to day responsibilities, success of the company which has significant engagement and loyalty tentacles, confidence in leadership of the company, etc.”

Now is a good time to observe your managers and assess how well they:

  • Guide dialog and conversations
  • Ask questions to elicit solid information
  • Set clear objectives for projects
  • Manage differences of opinions

These are just a few skills good managers develop. Now is the time to assess the “people skills” of your managers. The retention of your best employees is at stake.

What do you think about engagement or entrapment? Leave your comments below.

Programs to assist your engagement and retention efforts

Workplace Power’s in-depth management training course, Superior Superior RelationshipsRelationships, reinforces the leadership principles of earning trust and retaining hard-working employees through emotional connections, integrity, and genuine caring. It is especially effective with high potentials and new managers.

We also offer a wide range of leadership assessments for the edification and professional development of managers.

For a complimentary consultation on how your organization schedule a series of customized programs for fall or license the course that currently exists, call 770-923-0883 or email info@workplacepower.com.

Workplace Power Institute, CEO, Karla Brandau, is available for keynotes for conventions and conferences. Call 770-923-0883 to check her availability.

We'd love to speak with you directly. Call 770-923-0883 or fill out the form below and we'll connect very soon.