***Achieve Workforce Stability by Putting People in the Right Places

Workforce stability is a key to any company’s longevity. Turnover is not only expensive from the practical dollars and cents perspective—the cost of recruiting, hiring, and training—it also means that you lose a sense of the company’s history when people leave. That “corporate memory” is important, and it takes workforce stability to develop it.

A stable workforce also means that your people get to know each other and build strong relationship, and, in a positive upward spiral, those relationships contribute to the stability of your workforce. People who have strong bonds with their co-workers are less inclined to see the grass as greener on the other side of the fence—or with another company.

The primary way to achieve workforce stability is to put the right people in the right places. Only hire people who are right for the position and for your company. Every person you hire should have the right skill set for the job, demonstrate not only the ability but the willingness to do the work, and be a fit for your organization’s culture. If you have a laid-back, anything goes type of environment, don’t hire someone who prefers a starched, buttoned-down workplace. No matter how talented or skilled that individual is, he or she won’t succeed with your company. And if you have a formal, structured environment, don’t hire a laid-back, anything goes type of person. Hire people who not only have the skills you need, but who are going to function well in your culture.

Whole-person assessments are the most effective tool to identify the best candidates for your operation. This allows you to identify current skills, future potential, motivators (what drives a person to perform), and personality characteristics. Gather this information using a combination of tests,
inventories, and interviews. A primary principle of assessments according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration is: Do not reply too much on any one test to make decisions. Use the whole-person approach to assessment.

When you commit to making the investment in assessing your candidates so that you consistently put the right people in the right positions, you have established the foundation for workforce stability that will serve your company well.