During a Business Leadership session for HR leaders, the topic of headhunting came up and a very upset HR leader declared that headhunting or poaching, his preferred term, is illegal, wrong, and unethical. He did not understand why he would expend resources to train employees only for another company to poach them. He declared it an unfair practice. In summary, “Why can’t they train their own people or just recruit unemployed people?”

Sometimes, as managers and especially as HR practitioners, we often forget that no one owes us a thing. And if we can’t keep our employees happy, and not just our high-value employees, they’ll be dissatisfied and will leave as soon as they can. They’ll either be actively headhunted, or they’ll actively search the job market. They could even resign, choosing to stay at home while they search for new opportunities rather than stay at a job where they feel under-appreciated and undervalued.

So, rather than look to other organisations to leave our people alone, we could ask ourselves:

• What can I do to improve my people’s engagement and satisfaction?

• What is my Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

• Does it reflect what people really need?

• Is it competitive?

• Do my people know about all the EVPs they can access?

• How often do I take the pulse of how my team feels about working in the organisation?

• Do I listen to what they say they need?

• How can I show my people they are valued, appreciated, and have a future working with the organisation?

These questions don’t begin to scratch the surface, but they can lay the foundation for policies and processes that increase employee satisfaction and, consequently, retention.

There’s a Richard Branson tweet that says, “Train your people well enough that they can leave but treat them well enough, so they don’t want to.”

In a nutshell, people stay in companies where they feel fulfilled, valued with clear paths for growth (professional and personal), and surrounded by a good and supporting team. In other words, a great culture. While a positive company culture is not the exclusive responsibility of the Human Resources function, we do play a crucial role in crafting, supporting, and reinforcing one and actively discouraging a negative culture.

Article written by

Uwa Odefa

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