August 2002

Mind Over Management
How Do You Keep Good Employees from Leaving?

Medford Quarry Celebrates 25 Years of Safety

How Do You Keep Good Employees from Leaving?

Fulfilling expectations is the key to improving employee retention and maintaining high morale

Retaining good employees means knowing as many answers as possible to the very simple question “Why do people leave?” There are many answers to that question and many are beyond your control — health or family issues or a choice to pursue another area of interest, to name a few. Improving retention numbers requires a focus on factors that can be controlled. One such factor is unfulfilled expectations. This is one of the greatest sources of upset in human beings and I soften at the heart of a person’s choice to “move on”.
When people expect one thing but get something else, they immediately develop the attitude that “This is not the way it’s supposed to be”. Every day an employee shows up for work with that mindset is a day closer to their last day of work. As unfulfilled expectations persist and the degree of upset grows to the point that performance and morale drop, you’re likely to be writing a pink slip or receiving a letter of resignation.
Years ago when working in the oil and gas industry, I accepted an assignment in Nigeria to manage an offshore exploration crew. Someone needed to be replaced ASAP, and I jumped at the opportunity to take on more responsibility and prove myself. After my arrival at a very remote base camp, I learned that my schedule would be to work seven days a week for six months. I would then get one month off. This was a change from the two-month on/one-month off schedule I had been working before the transfer. I remember hearing the news and saying to myself, “This is not the way it’s supposed to be”, but I didn’t say a word, figuring “Okay, I can do this.”
Over the next several months, I watched employees of other U.S. companies come and go on their one-month on/one-month off schedules, telling me how great it was to have a break and see their families. Regardless of my positive attitude, the long hours started taking its toll. I felt burned out. My morale was sinking. I don’t have a problem with paying dues, but I needed some positive reinforcement about where all of this was leading. Each time I inquired about it, I was never engaged in a meaningful conversation that gave me a positive expectation about my future. The enthusiasm I started with was long gone.
It wasn’t the work I was upset about —it was the unfulfilled expectations. I stayed on board a while — hoping other expectations would be fulfilled enough to offset those that weren’t. That never happened. I eventually resigned, probably before being fired. My employer and I were unwilling to do enough of what the other expected. As I reflect on my experience, I can’t help but wonder how many people turn over in jobs every day due to unfulfilled expectations.
Rather than perform damage control after the fact, the best time to prevent unfulfilled expectations is before any hands are shaken and words like “Welcome aboard” are uttered. Preventing costly turnover begins by developing clear expectations, communicating them effectively, and learning a potential employee’s expectations. People have expectations of you, their job, their long-term career possibilities, the company they work for, and their coworkers. As leaders of people, we must take time to know what their expectations are. Then, within reason, we must meet or exceed them. Incorrect assumptions in this area open the possibility of expectations going unfulfilled and upset employees going elsewhere.
In some cases, avoiding costly turnover can occur by asking your people a simple question: “If we were working well together over the long haul, what would that look like?” After getting their answer, you can then share your answer and outline your expectations. When you discuss expectations and how they differ, it becomes a matter of finding common ground and agreeing to move forward. If agreement cannot be reached, you can avoid hiring the wrong person to begin with and help them avoid accepting a job they will find unfulfilling. A certain level of expectation must be met to ensure longevity in any working relationship.
Once expectations are clear and agreements are made to fulfill them, unfulfilled expectations can still come as a result of promises not kept, unrealistic pictures being painted, and rapid changes that take place. As a result, it’s important to re-establish this clarity of expectations from time to time and make adjustments, if necessary and/or possible. Many companies spend great effort to WOW their customers by exceeding their expectations —forgetting to follow the same strategy for their internal customers, their employees. When you meet and exceed expectations, employees and customers alike are happy and want to continue their relationship with you. They walk around all day, saying to themselves, “This is definitely the way things are supposed to be.” They are happy and pleased with a rewarding relationship they trust. Clearly defining expectations and then meeting/exceeding them is one of the most powerful ways to develop loyalty and retain good people. Employees stay or go for the same reason your customers do.
Establishing clear expectations from the start, keeping your word, and even exceeding expectations where possible is a lot easier than dealing with an upset employee or boss and trying to go back and clean up messy ground that’s been wrecked by unfulfilled expectations. When you do the latter, you often encounter a ton of built up resentment. By the time you try to rescue the relationship, there may be too much water under the bridge, over the dam, or wherever it goes. In cases where your expectations are clear, agreed upon, and delivered, promoting and firing an employee becomes a simple matter of honoring the other person’s choice for keeping or not keeping their word and agreements.
I wonder how many people would never accept jobs and how many employers would never hire the same people if expectations were really clear. As you are reading this, I wonder how many people are thinking about leaving jobs and how many people are thinking about letting someone go because of expectations that were never made clear and, therefore, aren’t being met. Most importantly, I wonder if you know what’s expected of you — by your employees and coworkers, and if you have made your expectations clear to that same group.

Bill Dyer is a professional speaker and trainer for Quantum Leap Resources, in Greensboro, N.C.