Employee Retention

EMPLOYEE RETENTION - A Challenge in the Present Corporate Scenario

MISCONCEPTIONS:  Turnover:

Expectation of higher compensation elsewhere  Incentives & Productivity are directly related  Responsibilities neglected by employees  Lack of loyalty towards the organization  Employee satisfaction measures will be a COST BURDEN on the organization

When will the Employees be Retained in an Organisation?  Quality

work  Assignment of Responsibility  No Job Dissatisfaction  No Compensation Issues  No Conflict with the Top Level Management  Opportunities of Growth in the Organisation  Monetary motivating factor + Respect + Recognition  Training & skill development for employability in the internal as well as external job market  Positive work culture & office environment

Traditional Measures: Compensation Bonus Pension

schemes Paid holidays

Modern Measures: Retention

Bonuses offered instead of sign-on bonuses Learnings encouraged People provided the best equipment & supplies possible Growth opportunities

Examples:  Paternity

leaves apart from the traditional maternity leaves  Yoga centers within organisations  Stress management exercises  Sports clubs and other interest groups  MBA programs facilitated in organisations like BPOs & KPOs  Creche facilities for working women with kids  Various Insurance schemes

Going the Green Route

Inadequate air circulation, volatile organic compounds from carpeting & furniture, poor lighting , mold build up & disruptive temperature variances can cause nausea, respiratory problems, skin rashes, lethargy, headaches & numerous other health concerns. This was first discovered in 1960 & since then Organizations have been resorting to ‘Green Cleaning’ to reduce Employee sick days, Absenteeism, & Employee

Benefits to the Organization:  Healthier

employees  Lower operating costs  Efficient & Economic Office space  Greater access to government financial incentives  Positive environmental impacts  Earn quick LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design: a Green Building Rating System by the U.S. Green Building Council) points & EPA’s Energy Star. LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction & operation of high performance green buildings.

In the United States, commercial buildings consume 17% of the water, 33% of the energy, 40% of the raw materials and 71% of the electricity. They produce, directly or indirectly, 40% of the landfill waste, 33% of the carbon dioxide, 49% of the sulfur dioxide and 10% of the particulate emissions. [Source: GoGreen]

GREEN INITIATIVES at Organizations would enable:       

Rain water harvesting for irrigation & fertilization Organic waste (or, Garbage) recycling into biogas for cooking purposes Daylight harvesting for internal environment Use of occupancy sensors in enclosed spaces Harmonic filters for power conditioning & energy saving Use of CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) with electronic ballasts Usage of socially responsible green materials

The Leap has been taken:  Patni’s

green IT-BPO Knowledge Centre

(Noida)  uses less natural resources, water & energy  generates less waste  follows LEED (India) guidelines  invested around 7% additionally for its green architecture, which can be recovered within 24-30 months Achievement: Apart from providing a soothing effect to eyes, productivity of people having

 CISCO

 provides recreational facilities & green areas to its employees  enables sharing of employee perspectives through online forums like ‘Let’s Talk Cisco Green’ , websites & through video clips  rain water harvesting & garbage recycling among other measures to reduce excess consumption of natural resources 

Motorola’s Manufacturing Unit (near Chennai)  earned LEED silver certification by efficiently using water, energy, natural resources & improving indoor environmental quality  successfully implemented rain water harvesting

 Tesco

Hindustan Service Centre (HSC)

 changed its 2500 CFL lamps, 40 garden lights & 70 street lights to LED  Rainwater harvesting wells, waste water treatment plants, algae retardents in water bodies, & solar water heaters  Wipro

Technologies Development Centre (Gurgaon)  courtyard design acts as a Micro-climate generator with channelising of sunlight & winds in the right direction  vegetation & a water body inside the courtyard do evaporative cooling & hence reduces the temperature  Photocell-based controls automatically dim available light based on daylight, reducing energy wastage

Conclusion: Green Architecture is the latest tool in the hands of an HR manager for Employee Retention. It adds Value to an organization & at the same time assists in Employer Branding too. It also enables the employees to imbibe the 4 C’s of Commitment, Competence, Congruence & Cost-effectiveness in the context of a healthy work environment.

Bibliography:

Times

Ascent

www.gogreenwithclean.com

Thank You !

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Dhananjay Kumar

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Jaipuria institute of management