Preparing for the New Year Exodus

With the holidays fast approaching, we’re all looking forward to some much needed rest and relaxation but, as we discussed last month, is this the best approach for your business?  A report recently featured at HC Online found that 56% of Australian workers plan to leave their job in 2013.  It’s important to note the phrasing here – that’s not 56% of workers would consider leaving their job, they are planning on leaving.

You’ve probably experienced the new year exodus in past years.  You return to the office in early January and it’s noticeably quieter.  Lonely tumbleweeds roll past your desk as you frantically update position descriptions and prepare to go to market to fill those key vacancies you hadn’t planned for. It’s a common occurrence for many managers and a quick Google search will bring back thousands of results with hints and tips for retaining your top talent in the new year.

I spoke briefly with Susanne Mather, Executive Director of Employment Office, who has some great recommendations for not only retaining your talent but for being prepared when they do leave.  Mather recommends engaging in a long term strategy with a focus on 1 to 1 meetings between direct managers and their workers on a monthly basis as well quarterly 1 to 1 meetings between senior leaders and staff.  This is a great way to get to know your staff’s motivations and aspirations but also to get a sense of how they feel in their current position.

If you’ve done everything you can to ensure you don’t come back to an empty office, you can rest easier over the holidays but the fact of the matter is that regardless of what retention policies you’ve put in place, you’ll probably have to go to market early in the new year.

If that’s the case, Mather strongly advocates having a, “talent pipeline so you always have potential new talent you can onboard fairly quickly” as well as “maximising your recruitment process efficiencies so you know you’re making the right hire at the right time”.

January will be here before you know it and, as professionals working in a field with results that are often difficult to quantify, it’s important that to be prepared for those new year surprises that are all too common.  If you suspect that you’ll be going to market early in January or want to be ready (just in case), don’t hesitate to give Employment Office a call at 1300 366 573.  Our team of dedicated recruitment experts can put together a targeted recruitment marketing campaign and have advertising live within 24 hours.