WHAT ’ S THE KEY TO KEEPING YOUR BEST TALENT ?
support to excel at what they do ; and purpose , helping them find a reason to do what they do .
“ If I could crystallise everything that I ’ m saying about leadership into one word it would be : inspiration . Within procurement , they can be the kind of people who turn up , place orders and do a commodity task , or they can be the people who save the company .
“ My very strong belief is that when people come to work they should be able to have a good time and I don ’ t know why so many organisations struggle with that .”
Indeed , when Alexander breaks it down like that it is hard to fathom why so many companies find it difficult to create such a positive environment for staff to work in , and no doubt this issue is becoming increasingly important . Research from Gallup shows that employees who are “ engaged and thriving ” are 59 % less likely to look for a job with a different organisation in the next 12 months .
Companies like German online clothing retailer Spreadshirt have an even more novel approach to creating that positive culture and ensuring that work is a fun place for employees to come into , as Philip Rooke , CEO , explains .
“ We have a Feel Good Manager whose job it is to make Spreadshirt a great environment to work in and a big part of this job is organising the company events . We always have a big summer party where family and friends , but also former Spreadsters , come together . Now we also have a “ Spreadster exclusive ” event , called Wandertag , like a summer outing .
“ Talent retention isn ’ t a big problem for us . We have a great product and a great company , but we do not take that for granted . Like any company we have our bad days . Our culture and talent retention is led by our Head of Recruiting and Feel Good Manager .
“ She ’ s responsible for the onboarding process for each new Spreadster , and improving workplace culture . In particular she has brought in programs on management communication to improve the way we work with talent . If you respect and empower talent , it wants to stay .” Words which should perhaps be borne in mind by companies who are worried about competitors poaching their most talented employees .
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