Retention of Hired Talent

Introduction: The Post-Hire Goal

Once a candidate has been hired, the next fundamental responsibility of the manager is to create the conditions necessary to maintain a high level of efficiency and, above all, commitment on the part of that person.

People expect their job to solve their needs (economic, developmental, social), not create additional problems for them.

Talent retention is an active process that starts right after hiring.

The Risk of Early Demotivation

It is a very common scenario: a new employee starts his job with great enthusiasm and excellent performance, but as time goes by, he starts to become demotivated and eventually ends up resigning from the organization.

This decline can be caused by multiple factors, one of the most important being the breakdown of the "psychological contract" that was established during the selection process.

The Psychological Contract is Dynamic, not Static

A key mistake is to assume that the psychological contract (mutual expectations) is fixed.

The reality is that psychological contracts are constantly changing throughout an employee's career.

The career aspirations and needs of a person with five years of experience are drastically different from those of a person with 45 years.

Likewise, the expectations of an employee in a strong economy with many job opportunities are different from one in an environment of widespread unemployment.

The Manager's Approach: Control the Controllable.

Inevitably, there will be many factors that determine the success or failure of a hire that the manager cannot control (such as the economy or personal decisions of the employee).

However, there are also a wide range of factors that are under the direct influence of the manager (team climate, recognition, clarity of goals, development opportunities, etc.).

Conclusion: The Retention Objective

The ultimate goal of the manager, once a hire has been made, should be to ensure that the employment relationship lasts as long as possible and is as productive as possible.

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