KEEPING JOBS IN NORTH DAKOTA

This commentary appeared in The Fargo Forum on July 20, 2008

North Dakota has 14,000 job openings.

A report entitled “Workforce Policy System Recommendations” commissioned by the North Dakota Legislative Council highlights ideas to attract and retain employees. The majority of the suggestions involve incentives to attract and then retain North Dakota workers.

The report did not focus on improved leadership, management, and supervision by North Dakota employers as a proven way to attract and retain not only employees but quality employees.

Absent the ongoing development of quality supervision, I predict the ideas proposed will prove to be little but cosmetic quick-fixes that give the illusion of progress but, in reality, are disappointments.

Employers first attract good employees with competitive compensation, fairly administered, and with clear guidelines on how to earn increases. Competitive compensation, while necessary, is not sufficient for the retention of great employees. Good supervisors and a culture of engagement are crucial to the attraction and retention of quality workers. Such supervisors and cultures are rare: The Gallup Organization reported that 76% of American workers are disengaged clock-watchers who cannot wait to go home at night. Their discretionary energy—the energy available to them beyond that needed to keep their jobs—is lost to their employers.

Gallup conducted over 1 million interviews and massive statistical analysis to answer the question: “What do the most talented and productive employees need from their workplace?”

Twelve questions emerged from the data. These questions captured the most important information about how to attract, focus, and keep (physically and mentally) the most talented employees. The questions, from the book First Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman, are:

Do I know what is expected of me at work?
Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday?
In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for good work?
Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
At work, do my opinions seem to count?
Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is important?
Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
Do I have a best friend at work?
In the last six months, have I talked with someone about my progress?
At work, have I had opportunities to learn and grow?

High ratings correlate with high productivity, increased profit, employee retention, and customer satisfaction. The data shows that engaged employees miss less work, quit less often, steal less from their employers, have fewer accidents (all by dramatic percentages), and more engaged organizations outperformed the earnings-per-share of their non-engaged competitors by 18%.

A key finding of the study was that opinions are formed by the employee’s relationship with the immediate supervisor, not the overall company, its leader, its structure, or its policies and procedures. In other words, people quit their immediate supervisor, not their company. Therefore, the selection and development of supervisors is crucial to the retention of the best employees.

If North Dakota enterprises want to attract and retain the best employees, make a lot of money, and endure longer than the length of a career; if North Dakota schools want to attract and retain quality teachers and administrators and graduate educated students; and if North Dakota governments want to provide efficient services, then North Dakota employers would be wise to create a well led and engaged workforce.