Staff Retention and Acquisition

The availability and acquisition of highly qualified staff is top of mind for many school administrators.  It’s a complex topic, so I plan to break down each of the following components over the coming weeks, sharing examples and strategies to address each one of the following:  

1. Staff Retention
2. Hiring Practices
3. Onboarding
4. Setting Expectations
5. Feedback
6. Applicant Pool

Staff Retention

While there are many reasons for staff turnover, we can limit the amount of turnover by understanding what is in our control, and attending to those controllable factors. Retaining strong staff members is an important step in the cycle of ensuring the organization continually improves.  Fortunately, there is good information and research available to help organizations retain strong staff members.

Intentionally working to retain staff is integral and can be facilitated through the following steps:

1. Provide competitive compensation and benefits packages
2. Create conduits for employees to take advantage of professional growth opportunities
3. Create pathways for career advancement and leadership opportunities
4. Ensure a positive work culture that includes employee involvement in decision making
5. Acknowledge strong performances through authentic feedback and recognition

Provide competitive compensation and benefits packages

Negotiating work agreements often turns into a competitive event where those responsible for maintaining a balanced budget attempt to “hold the line” and those on the other side who are working for the good of the group are working to enhance the compensation model.

Plus

• Staff will compare compensation packages and may gravitate to districts where compensation is superior.
• Long term commitments can be made by those who see compensation levels grow throughout their careers.
• This is one way to objectively determine a place to work and live.
• Compensation levels impact staff far beyond their careers when they enter retirement status.
• Quite honestly, some staff see compensation levels as associated with the worth the district has of them.

Delta

• There is a finite amount of funding available to allocate to staff compensation.
• In order to maintain compensation levels, the district often will need to either find ways to increase funding (taxes) or reduce expenses (budget reductions).
• Oftentimes the level of compensation is in proportion to the amount of effort expected (increased workload, increased staff/student ratios, decreased levels of support to accomplish the tasks)

What can we do?

• Provide holistic expectations of support and guidance for all staff.
• Thoughtfully and carefully enhance the compensation package developing a balance between what is available and what can be provided.
• Seek efficiencies where one time expenses replace ongoing costs (software platforms etc.)
• During the negotiating process, consider common interests and work to collaboratively solve mutual concerns both in language and in numbers.
• Clearly and repeatedly communicate how the district is attending to its core values.

Anecdotally Speaking

Examples exist where either side of the negotiating table walks away thinking they “won” by taking advantage of the other.  Generally speaking, if language is used such as, “I can’t believe they agreed to this,”  whatever the “this” is, there will likely be negative outcomes to be realized later on.  Most people would say that a successful negotiating session is one where both sides sacrificed.

Create conduits for employees to take advantage of professional growth opportunities

Providing support to those employees who want and need to grow professionally is essential to creating an energized, dynamic workforce.

Plus

• Providing professional growth opportunities lessens frustrations in how staff accomplish their goals.
• Staff who are supported better understand how to meet expectations.
• Professional growth creates collegiality between peers and employee groups
• Learning from other professionals broadens perspectives and resources for individuals and groups.

Delta

• Allocating a budget can conflict with work agreement levels.  Refer to the values of the district to determine how to expend funds.
• Having staff out of the building when students are present has consequences for learning.
• Too many “new things” are added to the plate.  Remember to take things “off the plate” when able.

What can we do?

• Create and refine a strong mentorship program for all employee groups
• Take advantage of staff development times and collaboratively create relevant growth opportunities.
• Work to establish standards of work that are communicated in a clear and precise way.
• Bring in professionals from districts where expected work is currently “standard” work.
• Utilize the best information and practice from districts that are overperforming in that particular area.
• Send a representative group to conduct a site visit of a specific department from a specific district who exhibits behaviors and strategies you are intending.

Anecdotally Speaking

There should be a strong connection between what we are asking the employee to do and the professional development opportunity available to them.  Establishing SMART goals for the staff member will assist in determining whether there is a viable link or not.  Ultimately, this should be an administrative decision made in support of the continued development of staff.  For example, should a staff member take a student contact day to go to the “Wolf Center” because students read Jack London’s “To Build a Fire?”  Likely, there isn’t a strong link to the curriculum and therefore would be denied.  On the other hand, sending four staff members to a district to observe their personalized learning approach might be one of the most valuable uses of time and money provided they bring back information to “train the trainer” and enhance a department or district’s understanding of personalized learning.

Create pathways for career advancement and leadership opportunities

Whether more formalized systems (site managed districts) exist or more informal leadership opportunities exist, involving staff and creating pathways for them to expand their responsibilities is a way to help staff see an aspirational future in the organization.

Plus

• Staff who are involved in creating their future are more likely to remain as they are valued and responsible for outcomes.
• We never really know which staff members are eager to take on expanded roles and responsibilities until we ask.
• Staff who are part of the solution are also loyal to the process and organization that provided the opportunity for their input to the solution.

Delta

• There is always the possibility that staff members could leave to explore leadership opportunities beyond their current district capabilities.
• Peers of staff members who take advantage of leadership opportunities can reject them as “siding with administration.”  If a culture is built around opportunities, petty jealousies can be mitigated.

What can we do?

• Enlist the assistance of staff by presenting the issue to be solved, then seek solutions.
• Provide a graphic or framework of a process to achieve a certain goal and collaboratively work to implement the process.
• Whenever possible provide a team approach to resolving issues and utilize the skills and abilities of each team member in resolving the challenge.

Anecdotally Speaking

A district was interested in raising 8th grade reading scores as measured by the annual statewide assessments.  The district came to an 8th grade Language Arts instructor with a request, budget, and administrative support for my efforts.  After accepting the challenge, the staff member worked within the allocated budget, kept administration informed about progress, saw positive results, and later entered the administrative licensure program.

Ensure a positive work culture that includes employee involvement in decision making

Positive work environments exist where input and oftentimes decisions are made by those most closely affected by the decisions.

Plus

• Better decisions are made when information is provided by those who are working closely to the situation.
• More accurate information can be provided by those who are working in the environment.
• Staff are empowered to create solutions at the granular level.
• There is greater commitment to the solution when collaboratively created.

Delta

• Decisions take longer.
• Controversial decisions are deflected to “the team.”
• Who is selected to be a part of “the team?”
• Some staff don’t want that level of involvement.

What can we do?

• Have a clear delineation of roles and decision making.
• Identify who is responsible for the decision and outcomes.
• Give a variety of staff opportunities to participate in the solution.
• Give credit when the decision goes well; take responsibility when it doesn’t go as well.
• Model process facilitation.
• Provide frameworks for decision making

Anecdotally Speaking

A district was facing budgetary reductions and because they had a formalized (in policy) site management system of decision making, involved staff and community at each site to determine areas of revenue enhancement and budget reduction.  Because a team of certified and non-certified staff as well as parents, community and students were involved in the decisions, the decisions were more generally supported throughout the district.  As memorialized in policy, the ultimate recommendation was left in the hands of the Superintendent and the decision in the hands of the School Board. The process was clearly outlined and articulated, the ultimate decisions were better received.

Acknowledge strong performances through authentic feedback and recognition

Intentionally seeking out and acknowledging strong performances will encourage them as well as others to aspire to doing good work in the district.

Plus

• High expectations will be reinforced and staff will strive to meet and exceed those expectations.
• As other staff members observe the recognition, they will better understand high expectations.
• Once staff are consistently working to established expectations (standard work) the district can establish new high expectations.

Delta

• Many high performing staff members consistently perform at high levels, therefore are rightly recognized more frequently.
• Variables beyond staff control may inhibit high performance.
• Staff begin to work for extrinsic reasons rather than intrinsic satisfaction.

What can we do?

• Instant Award where supervisors are provided with a stack of $5 gift cards to the local coffee shop.  When they see an employee (any employee) exhibiting the values of the organization, they simply walk up, acknowledge the action, and provide the $5 gift card to the employee.
• Surprise Mailing where the supervisor creates a cardstock template award with language such as, “…has best exemplified the values of …”  The supervisor fills out the template, signs it, puts it in the mail to the employee’s home address.  The employee unwittingly receives the mailing outlining the valuable contributions they have made to the organization.
• Group Appreciation where the supervisor publicly acknowledges the employee’s contributions at a staff or department meeting, inviting rousing applause from the attendees.
• Weekly recognition publication created with the sole intent and purpose of identifying unique ways employees have positively contributed to the success of the organization.
• Use formal evaluation as an opportunity to reinforce high expectations and to utilize data gained through formal evaluation to identify areas of need for staff development purposes.

Anecdotally Speaking

As you work through changes in your organization and/or district, consider using one of our Frameworks (Growth and Change and/or Strategic Growth and Change) found at the following link:

TeamWorks Resources

Next week I will focus on the topic of Hiring Practices.