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Employment Today™


"EMPLOYER BITES NAILS AS COMPETORS WOOS HIS EMPLOYEES!"

Dear Kathryn:

Employers have gotten as vicious as barracudas.

I have been scalped by a competitor raiding my regional CT office. The company's recruiters have directly called to offer lunch, a company pitch, outline outrageous benefits and job offers to four of my staff. This aggressive tactic has resulted in all four employees leaving us and joining our competition, all within a sixty day period. What can I do quickly to stop this raid? This competitor is growing fast as they've combined two offices in this location and I'm expecting more recruiting calls to my staff.

I travel a great deal and am not in the office much as I'd like but I can't afford to watch my staff be stolen this way.

STEVE Y., Madison, CT

Dear Steve:

Get off your butt and take action! You didn't get to your management position by being slow or shy yourself.

I'm suggesting you take every action I'm recommending immediately, all at the same time. You'd be darn crazy to let one more experienced, trained person loose to the competitors, especially as hiring and training is so costly.

First, immediately do an individual employee session finding out their pros and cons about their job, benefits, and overall feelings and loyalty to your company. Employ other regional management to help you if necessary, as this raid requires an immediate response.

Next, consider having your staff immediately sign a non-compete contract. As they're already employed, you'll have to offer compensation in order to make the contract binding. This action will not only protect you from having your trained staff depart to their competitors parking lot but will show them you care enough about them to put this into effect.

Call those that left at home. Tell them you really care about their opinions as to what they think could have been done to make their employment with you better and would have kept them there. As much as you may not like doing this, it's vital. Exit interviews, especially when an employee has left your employment can surface valuable information you can't get any other way.

Last, call the recruiters at your competitors. Tell them you've respected them throughout the years and would like to maintain a professional relationship. Point blank ask to exercise their recruiting efforts in another arena. Many times companies are surprised when they're called upon in this fashion and out of professional courtesy will put their efforts in someone else's arena.

Immediate, aggressive action is necessary. Otherwise, not only will you lose more staff, you'll lose the respect of those who stay, those you're trying to recruit and those who left. Who knows, maybe your call to those who already left can result in recruiting them back!

Dear Kathryn:

I got downsized from a large manufacturing company and took a position at a smaller company where I would be "closer to the money" and thus would be more secure.

Reporting directly to the company president at my new company I thought this job would be safer as there are so few employees, how could I possibly be laid off?

Well, I haven't been laid off, yet, but my medical benefits haven't been paid in three months and I doubt I'll ever see the 401k match I was promised.

Is there a more full-proof way to find out an employer's stability? I'm emptying my own trash and feel a new job is in order quick.

BILL U., Cromwell, CT

Dear Bill:

Since when are there any guarantees in life? Employers write me the same gripe about hiring employees that seemed to check out, only to find they hired lazy, sloppy, no-shows or thieves.

Here's my suggestion: Go to your next chamber of commerce meeting, association and networking party, any function where you can talk to people in the industry you're in currently or want to be in. Find out how long they've been with their particular employer, and ask them what they like and dislike about their company.. Nothing is as real and current like the words from the mouths of current employees. In addition, social functions tend to be relaxed and you'll be able to elicit more real information from employees as they're not in the work environment. While I always advocate asking to meet current employees as part of the interview process, you can't expect an employee to share information when they're in their employer's workplace and on their dime.

Second, during your next round of interviews, specifically ask about company goals, plans to reach them as well as specific changes and goals within the department you'd be in. While larger companies many times can offer a bit more forecasting before layoffs and you won't experience unpaid medical premiums, there are no guarantees in life as you've experienced.

Lastly, the old adage of: "the closer your job is to affecting the company profits, the better", still holds. Good luck.