Retention in the time of recession

I am not an HR professional. I have always thought that one of the prerequisites for pursuing a career in the human resources department, was an instinctive understanding of human nature. They are enablers, match-making at the time of recruitment, facilitators to achieve business objectives and even mediators when necessary. But with my years in the corporate world, I have come to suspect that they are just spies for upper management. Why the cynicism you ask?

Very often I hear the topic of recruitment and retention come up in meetings. Finding appropriately qualified people for hard to fill niche positions is the first hurdle for any company. I find it amusing that many times the focus of the interviews is primarily on the personal and social considerations – will you relocate to a new city, what if you get married/have children etc. While the answers to some of these questions may be gently probed during the interview process, it is unforgivable that the extensive resume of an experienced person is overlooked by those who should be looking at the possible fit of the candidate and the potential for growth.

Recently I came across a person who joined a reputed company after a rigorous selection process and landed a cushy job. But I was surprised to see that such a highly competent and ambitious person had accepted a trivial job with no growth prospects. The person desperately needed a job. The company assumed that the fit was good since the candidate was local, appeared to be settled in the city and commitment was therefore assumed. Guess what? Within a few weeks, a better job prospect more in line with the person’s career goals appeared with an offer that was too good to refuse, and it was bye-bye to the so-called “good job”. Who lost? Certainly not the candidate.

I feel that company’s with a myopic vision, looking for a guarantee of loyalty from prospective employees, based on their personal parameters are only fooling themselves. After the booming growth of the economy in recent times, followed by the recession, attrition became less of a concern since there weren’t too many competing, lucrative offers in the job market. Does that mean HR can become complacent with respect to retention? Times of great change at the macro level are accompanied by an equal level of introspection on the individual level. When satisfaction with one’s work becomes the prime focus (rather than paycheck), there is no stopping an employee from leaving the security of a familiar job. This is another reason why retention should be given more, not less attention during times of recession. The spotlight has to be on the individual, his needs, his strengths and special talents which the company has to value in order for him to continue being a productive performer. Assuming that employees have nowhere else to go will only hurt such companies in the long run.

But this is just my opinion – I am not an HR professional.