ClearRock

BOSTON - With the job market expected to pick up this year, as many as 75 percent of employees are looking for other jobs, according to a recent survey. However, organizations may be able to retain some valued workers not necessarily by offering higher salaries - or the latest perks. Instead, they may try managing them less - or at least micro-managing them less, according to ClearRock, a Boston-based executive coaching and outplacement firm.

75 percent of all employees are looking for new employment opportunities - with 35 percent actively looking and 40 percent conducting passive searches, according to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Nearly half said they intend to step up their job-search efforts as the economy improves.

"With a better job market and more opportunities available for employees since the 1990s, managing less - or recognizing those people who respond best to a hands-off or deft management approach - may actually help retain some valued talent," said Anne Hawley Stevens, a managing partner for ClearRock.

Managers and executives should use different management styles to fit various situations and individuals in both good and bad economic environments. "But a lighter management touch may be considered a plus by those who may be weighing multiple job offers and career options in this recovering job market," according to Greg Gostanian, a managing partner for ClearRock.

Employers won't always be able to compete with other organizations vying for their best workers by offering increased wages, benefits, and promotions. "In fact, a potentially higher salary frequently isn't a major reason why employees jump to other organizations," said Stevens.

A lighter management touch - especially toward those who have shown they respond best to this - can serve as a retention tool in a recovering job market in these ways, according to ClearRock:

• Assists in retaining employees who may be on the fence about accepting another job, or even looking for other employment. "How well one gets along with his or her boss is often a big factor in making a decision to leave an organization. Few people respond well to micro-managers or toxic bosses," said Gostanian.
• Helps grow employees in their jobs and prepare them for expanded roles and responsibilities. "People like a certain degree of independence in their jobs. They tend to perform better and are more receptive to taking on new types of work - which promotes their personal development and adds to their career prospects," said Stevens.
• Promotes a happier workplace and increases job satisfaction. "People like to be treated as adults, with respect for their duties, roles, input, and opinions," said Gostanian. "Micro-managing and autocratic managers send off the wrong signals in the workplace. There are no doubt many employees who have been waiting for the job market to turn so they can get out from under some of these high-pressure management types," said Gostanian.
• Prepares managers and executives for their own career development. "By encouraging managers and executives to grow those they manage, to sharpen their own skills, and adopt different management styles, it readies them for the next managerial level," said Gostanian.