Last Friday, EFCO Finishing’s Terry Schultz attended the Wisconsin Manufacturing Summit, put on by the Independent Business Association of Wisconsin, and geared toward businesses in the manufacturing sector. Christine McMahon was the keynote speaker at the event, with her presentation titled, “Why Should I Work Here”. Her focus was geared toward getting the right people on your team, and once you have them, the keys to retaining them. Three areas of emphasis include:
Company Culture – This is the identity of the organization, and how it engages with customers and employees. Values drive behaviors and determines how the work gets completed. Key initiatives she mentioned: simplify; invest in talent; and performance management (eliminating performance reviews and replacing with an on-going performance conversation.)
Talent Attraction – Her key points in this area included humanizing the company, personalizing the experience, building community, connecting candidates to the company, being inviting, and making it real. She added that social media is an excellent way to attract talent, and if you’re not yet doing this as a company, it’s a missed opportunity to showcase your brand and personality.
Talent Retention – 94% of employees with managers who care about them stick around. Companies with high trust cultures outperform low trust cultures by 300% as trust is a performance multiplier. She also discussed reasons people leave their jobs, such as not feeling connected to others or their work. Retention interviews are also a good way to avoid issues down the road: discuss what is liked most about the job, challenges faced, and how strengths and talents can be leveraged better.
Christine McMahon has held a variety of different sales positions and writes a regular column for BizTimes. It was a great way to kickoff the Friday with her expertise, and we’re excited to consider how her suggestions fit into our existing practices and determine how some could be added.
