Five ways to thrive, not just survive, in a retention crisis
The world has changed. In the 1990s, things were very simple. No internet, no mobile phones, pay packets came in brown envelopes, and people did what they were told. Paper-based, cash heavy, endless audit trails. Power sat with the manager and customers got what they were given.
Life was still relatively simple in the 2000s. Social media, apps, and tech were all in their infancy. Managers lived and died by 32-point customer journeys and mystery shoppers. Power still sat with the organisation and the manager.
Now we are in the 2020s and technology has changed everything. It’s not what you give me, it’s how you make me feel. It’s experience not service. Instagram-ready menus. Personal recommendations. On-demand TV, food, and even work. The power balance has shifted to the customer and the employee.
On top of that, we moved into the 4th Industrial Age in 2015. The world is digital, cloud-based, personalised, flexible, and person-centric. It’s now our job as leaders to engage our teams and customers, not the other way round.
So, what can we do to thrive? Address the new reality by taking care of these five things, and set yourself up for success.
1. Think retention, not recruitment
With the ratio of job vacancies to job seekers working against us, it’s time to stop talking about recruitment and start talking retention. Take note of big business tactics – companies like British Gas and Sky recognise the value of keeping people rather than replacing them and have retention specialists to hold on to them. A whole team might be too much, but how about investing a Retention Champion in every venue to support the team, build relationships, and stop your best workers walking out the door?
2. Don’t just train people, help them learn
With costs escalating daily, we all need to generate additional revenue to stand still. How will you do this? How about unlocking untapped revenue in your people? Train them on company time what you want them to do and how you want them done. Technical skills, processes, and company basics. Then allow them to learn. Harvard Business Review reported that 55% of teams learn from each other first. Our teams will learn in their own time if we give them the digital tools and knowledge sharing platforms to do so. And if they are learning, they aren’t leaving. Imagine the eager kitchen porter desperate to get on the chef line but you’ve no time to teach them? Imagine they can access menu training in their own time and come ready to show you how hungry they are to progress? Now imagine they do that on the day three chefs call in sick?...
3. Stop expecting 'common sense'
If you’re getting frustrated with Generation Z for not having ‘common sense’, stop! There’s no such thing. Don’t forget, they’ve been shut away for most of the past three years. What might seem obvious to you – clearing glasses on your way past, for example - is not obvious to them. You need to set them up for success by being explicit in your instructions. Try it and see. Tell them what you want, and how you want it doing, and they will do it.
4. Treat critical thinking as a teachable skill
When was the last critical thinking course you did, if ever? The explosion in data requires critical thinking skills many don’t possess. It isn’t taught, yet we expect managers to interrogate data, join the dots, and come up with solutions. We need to equip them with the ability not just to identify outcomes but spot opportunities and drive improvement.
5. Instil belief in every team member
Competitive advantage is not just a concept. You need an edge to succeed, and it needs to be razor sharp to stand out. Every single person who works for you needs to understand what it is. Otherwise, how can they deliver it? Individual clarity on why your guests should come back to you time and again means setting your team – and your bottom line - up for success.
Karen Turton is the founder and CEO of management consultancy Purple Story.
