Retention health checklist 				Checklist 3

Take some time to answer the following questionnaire in order to judge the capacity of your business to keep its employees engaged. The following questions are a good indicator of your commitment to retention. Tick each question if it applies to you and your business.	

	My company is well regarded by job seekers and employees say positive things about their job.	
	I have an employee-centric culture that values internal customers as much as external ones.	
	My employees have the opportunity to understand how their work contributes to the bottom line.	
	I provide my employees with opportunities for growth and development.	
	I provide a comfortable, safe work environment and I have a good reputation in the community.	
	My leadership is accessible and provides vision and direction.	
	I know how much it costs me to replace every employee who resigns/needs to be replaced.	
	I know the reasons for these departures and the difference between an avoidable and an unavoidable departure.	
	I know why employees stay or leave my company and what keeps them engaged and motivated.	
	The rate of turnover in my company is lower than the average in the industry.	
	I spend more time and money on my retention program than on recruitment.	
	Salaries and bonuses are linked to performance.	
	Our managers are trained to recruit, identify, guide, coach, reward and retain their people.	
	I know my workforce plan for the next two years.	
	My employees are aware that they are an ‘asset’ in which one needs to invest and not a ‘cost’ to reduce.	
	I use a job satisfaction or engagement survey in order to understand the requirements of my employees.	
	I know who the talented employees in my company are that I can’t afford to lose.	
	I think that my company does what is needed in order to retain its valuable employees.	

How many did you tick?
Under 5: You are likely regularly going to market for new employees and finding it increasingly difficult to attract staff. Either you are challenging established thinking that a salary and a job are enough to motivate your employees or perhaps you have a turnover rate of zero, so retention is not a priority for your company.
Between 5 and 10: The retention practices of your company are largely inspired by the concept of ‘the carrot and the stick’ and are centred on financial reward and Friday drinks. But you recognise that this mass motivation, used to obtain better productivity, has reached its limits. Retention is not about ‘one size fits all’.
Between 10 and 15: You are conscious that your employees are as important as your clients and that you need to concentrate on the former to assure satisfaction of the latter. You know what is at stake with retention and you are committed to answer your employees’ demands in a culture of engagement. Excellence is on its way.
Between 15 and 18: You are an employer of choice and everybody should know it.