Readers' Corner - Employee Retention

Michèle Auger, Fred Longley and Edward Popoff
Departmental Library
Source: Workplace Gazette, Vol. 7, No. 4, Winter 2004

download (PDF format, 229kb) | other topics

Employee Retention

Browell, Sue. Staff Retention in a Week. 2nd ed. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2003.
HF5549.5 R58 B76 2003

This short guide begins with a discussion of staff retention as one of the most important influences in the success of an organization, focusing on the changing nature of work and organizations and on labour market and demographic issues. It examines reasons why some employees leave an organization and some stay, and offers assessments and measurements to identify the causes of staff turnover. Short- and long-term action plans for staff retention are profiled, with emphasis on the need to regularly review and assess these strategies. The book identifies who should have responsibility for employee retention and outlines their roles. 

Frank, Fredric D., Richard P. Finnegan and Craig R. Taylor. "The Race For Talent: Retaining and Engaging Workers in The 21st Century." Human Resource Planning 27:3 (2004),
pp. 12–25.

This American article provides an overview and evaluation of both traditional and recent innovative solutions to improve employee retention and engagement, and examines the critical role of the front-line leader and emerging role of the team member in retention and engagement. 

Herman, Roger E., Thomas G. Olivo and Joyce L. Gioia. Impending Crisis. Winchester, VA: Oakhill Press, 2003.
HD5724 H47 

This book opens with an examination of economic, demographic and technology trends which will contribute to a critical shortage of skilled workers in the United States of America by 2010 as predicted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These converging developments include the aging of the baby boomer wave, globalization, more frequent job turnover and longer working lives. The second half of the book presents strategic advice to employers to meet the challenge. Organizations should evaluate all the ways they function with a view to developing more efficient processes, recognizing that technology alone will not resolve the problem of too few workers. Human resource professionals should be coached in developing an understanding of the strategy and operations of the organization to optimize their role in supporting a stable workforce. Employers must meet changing employee needs—for example, in life-work balance. High priority should be given to in-house corporate learning. 

Phillips, Jack J. and Adele O. Connell. Managing Employee Retention: A Strategic Accountability Approach. Amsterdam; Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2003.
HF5549.5 R58 P44 

This practical guide offers managers proven strategies in retaining talented employees. Employee retention will be an issue of growing significance for most job groups during the current decade. Often costs of employee turnover are underestimated and the causes inadequately identified. Solutions to reduce turnover are sometimes mismatched with the cause, with unsatisfactory results. The authors demonstrate how to accurately cost turnover, identify its causes, and design and implement solutions targeted to specific needs. They explain how to maintain turnover within an acceptable range by developing tools to track turnover and alerts to signal when action is needed. Finally, metrics to measure the return on investment of retention solutions are provided. 

Schweyer, Allan. Talent Management Systems: Best Practices in Technology Solutions for Recruitment, Retention and Workforce Planning. Toronto, John Wiley & Sons Canada, 2004.
HF5549 A27 S38 

Talent management systems are Web-based technologies for the recruitment, selection, training and development, optimal deployment, and retention of an organization's workforce. This book describes technologies and methods which offer proven and emerging best practices in talent management. Many of the recommended approaches are basic requirements for organizations of almost every size and type. As the value of organizations is based increasingly on the value of their human capital in a tightening labour market, talent management systems will be used as essential strategic tools for the creation of value from knowledge. 

NOTES

  1. For other available references in French language only, see the French version of the Workplace Gazette/Gazette du travail.

  2. Employees of Social Development Canada and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada can borrow these items from the Departmental Library.
    Others can borrow them through their own library.