THE NEED TO RETAIN SEASONED PROFESSIONALS

THE NEED TO RETAIN SEASONED PROFESSIONALS

A seasoned professional in organization will necessarily have most of these characteristics -   He or she would have been a tenured employee, would have played different roles in the company across functions and business units, would consistently meet organizational and business goals, have personal rapport with many of the colleagues at different levels in the organization, have a knack of getting things done quickly within the company, fiercely protect the brand image of the company internally and externally and last but not the least create successors behind in places they vacate.

If there is one thing that is and will always be critical to an organisations success,  is the need retain seasoned professionals.  Listed below are the reasons why it becomes important to retain these employees:

   Seasoned professionals contribute significantly to organisations goals

These employees having been in the organisation for a significant period of time and normally exceed their targets on a consistent basis. When they leave it creates an impact on the team’s performance.

To compound the problem, these employees will always get replaced by fresher’s who will take a significant amount of time come up the learning curve. During this period the pressure gets transferred to the existing team members who may end up being disgruntled.

   Seasoned professionals are brand ambassadors of the organisations

These employees having worked in the organisation for several years tend to represent the organisation. New joinees look up to them and they most likely have a huge influence on the morale of the team. Positive behaviour always creates a positive work environment

    Seasoned professionals make excellent buddies & mentors

When new employee joins, it’s always good to have him/her buddied up during their first couple of months in the organisation. This would help the new employee feel more comfortable as he has continuous support. This lends itself to increased employee engagement and a reduction of early attrition. The seasoned professionals having been in the company for a few years know the wherewithal to be able to guide the new employee on a personal & professional front

 

    Seasoned professionals have excellent relationships with the Clients

Most clients tend to build relationships with employees and appreciate loyalty. When a seasoned professional leaves the clients tend to get concerned as they would be required to rebuild the trust & confidence with another employee. This process naturally takes time and during this period, there could be several anxious moments for the organisation and CSAT levels may drop.

HOW TO RETAIN SEASONED PROFESSIONALS?

   Challenge them :

Seasoned employees love to be challenged and are especially kicked about challenging assignments handed down by the very senior leaders in the company.  For them, the assignment in itself is both recognition and a reward.

   Create a learning environment

A continuous process of Learning & Development is something that all seasoned employees want. While they may be happy with their role, it’s important for them to feel that they are learning something new on an ongoing basis. They should be sent for training programs and exposed to new technologies to keep them engaged.

   Keep them engaged

Seasoned professionals need to be given continuous attention. Their managers should seek their feedback on improvement areas as their contributions can be valuable. Rewards, recognition and a pat on the back can go a long way in keeping them motivated.

Regular and frequent exchanges with the senior leaders both formal and informal, goes a long way in fuelling the continued urge to succeed in their roles

   Provide additional roles & responsibilities

Managers should consciously delegate work to the seasoned employees and ensure they are offered opportunities where they can leverage their experience to groom other employees. These employees should be given an opportunity to grow by providing them practical learning experience.

   Reward Loyalty

With attrition being one of the biggest challenges that organisations face today, it becomes extremely important that Organisations ensure that loyalty is rewarded.  Rewards can be in the form of cash, certificates, trophies & medals or special benefits such as a flexible work timings, work from home options ( on certain days of the week) etc.

Special treatment of some kind may also be a sponsored educational course, a holiday for the family, aid or support to a social cause they feel strongly about, makes their continuance in the company even more worthwhile.

The need to retain seasoned employees is very clear and simple.  Unless a random employee accidentally becomes a seasoned employee quickly, only seasoned employees can create more seasoned employees.