Among the more difficult areas to address when trying to improve retention in an organization are teamwork, supervision and leadership which may require changed behavior, the report said.
It said however that teamwork and the relationships between supervisors and employees can have the biggest impact on job satisfaction and retention, noting that employees might just as soon leave to get away from a personal relationship with a boss as to get away form a job – as the two are tied together.
To improve in this area the report recommends using periodic surveys to gain insight into how different employee groups feel about agency operations and leadership to identify problems and types of employees at risk for attrition.
"Stay" interviews can be useful to determine what an employee wants out of his or her job and what he or she feels is missing, the report said, adding that confidentiality and openness as well as follow-up action are crucial for this to have any benefit.
Additional strategies include required training for managers in supervisory skills and in managing employees, as well as coaching and training problematic managers and holding them accountable for improvement, the report said, adding that this has the additional benefit of demonstrating to employees an overall organizational commitment to improving.
