Is Your Leadership Causing Your Turnover?
September 3rd, 2009 by Lois Melbourne
It started as an #HR_Tech chat on Twitter. A group of us were discussing the metrics and analytics in HR. There was some smack talk about the lack of value of turnover data being a lagging indicator of talent.
Then the chatter began about the importance of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and a great tweet from @MikeBBoston, “while lagging indicators aren’t sexy, what do they say about those who ignore history? not to mention base-lining/modeling.” This is so true. We must learn from history or we are destined to repeat it. If your turnover rate stinks – learn from it.
Headcount analysis, turnover rates, wanted or unwanted attrition, all have their place in workforce planning. You simply need to know if they are the right things to be focusing on and verify you’re using them in context to make them meaningful. Do you have bench marking and goals you are trying to reach? Then there is my favorite – are you looking at your metrics as they tie to your leadership?
My comment in the Twitter chat was, “Turnover is often a symptom of poor leadership or poor hiring practices – ignore at your own risk!” This obviously struck a chord because I started getting tweets and e-mails from many people about how true this statement is.
People don’t leave companies – they leave their leaders. If you are experiencing turnover problems – can you see the numbers as they relate to each leader? We find you can pinpoint a lot of problems to the leader if you look at your numbers as they fit within the hierarchy. Those bad turnover numbers often roll up to point right at the decision makers and the communicators causing the problem.
Can you visualize your numbers this way? How much better might your decisions be if you could see your metrics this way?
Cheers,
Lois
You may also like...
Related Blog Post
The Quiet Leadership in MentoringRelated Blog Post
Leadership and Crises: Some Companies Disgust Me!
