Book Review by Jack Falt
The booklet is meant mainly for human resources professionals and executive coaches. If changes are going to be made in company policy, these are two key resources that are in a position to influence change.
If there is such a shortage of jobs, why be concerned about finding new employees? We are facing a loss of skilled employees as our present workforce retires. This “war for talent” is predicted to last for the next couple of decades. Generation X is about two-thirds the size of the Baby Boomers it is replacing.
The author has examined various turnover rates per year by industry. These range from as low as 2% to a high of 54%. Other surveys indicate that a very high rate of employees are considering leaving their company in the next few years.
The benefits of retention are reflected in the bottom line of profit of the company. Also, if a company has happy employees, their customers are going to be happier as well in that these employees are more likely to give better service.
The retention process falls into four categories: attraction, selection, development and decision. The company wants to attract the best candidates possible for any job. Assuming sufficient applicants, the company must choose the best worker for the position. Once hired, the company needs to develop the skills of that employee. Even with all this in place, a workers is constantly evaluating his or her job in relation to what is outside of the company. Would it be a good decision to stay with the company or look for work elsewhere.
The booklet lists how each of the preferences influences the interview process. As well there are charts showing by percentage the satisfaction levels of each of the sixteen types, and the percentage by type of those likely to leave their current job within the year.
Job retention depends on three “fit factors”: How well does the job fit with the worker’s type? How well does the manager’s type fit with the worker’s type? And how well does the organization fit with the worker’s type? The author shows the relation between features of the organization’s culture and the various preference combination, and the values of the organization and worker’s preferences.
The booklet then devotes a page to each of the sixteen types. It shows the percentage of that type in relation to the total population, the percentage that are satisfied with their job, and the percentage who plan on leaving their job within the year. The type descriptions lists in point form under the following headings: Attracted to Organizations That; To Bring out Their Best in Interviews; Suggestions for Development; Clues They May Be Dissatisfied; Preferred Tasks or Style; Like Managers Who; May Have Difficulty with a Manager Who; Preferred Organizational Culture; and Rewards and Recognition.
This is a very worthwhile booklet to give you an understanding how type relates to the world of work. Be sides human resources personnel and coaches, anyone doing career counselling would find this booklet very useful. It is also an excellent resource for career classes in high schools and college.