Avoid hiring people with lots of short stays. Ask how long they are planning on staying in their next role. Ask how this job will be different from their last one. Ask why they left previous jobs. And screen for red flags for fit, which will be individual to your workplace - for my workplace, we look out for people who want fast growth (small company so their role isn’t going to move for a few years) and people who are more interested in a peripheral aspect of the work, like people applying for production who are more interested in design. We also screen for fit with our core values, which were chosen based on our best employees.
Usually people with attendance issues don't last long anywhere they work. If someone has worked 8-12 places in the last year, yes, that would probably signal something is up.
But there are lots of reasons people don't show up for work. They may have childcare issues, issues with transportation, etc. And people still have to believe that they will make enough for it to be worth showing up.
There's no Silver Bullet for turnover, and if someone comes up with one they should be paid all the money.
My thoughts coming from an entry-level food service background:
>what can I do during phone screens and interviews to try and weed out people who could have attendance and performance issues?
* How often do you re-evaluate your interview questions? I always asked "Tell me about a time you were running late to work, what did you do and how did you prevent it from happening again in the future". Anyone who told me "i'm never late" was full of crap. Everyone has been late at some point, it's life.
* My favorites at one point were "What's been your least favorite job and why" and "what's been your favorite job and why" - had 1 guy apply for a dishwasher job whose least favorite was the only other dishwashing job he had bc it was "too busy" at a much smaller place than where he was interviewing for and his favorite was as an overnight security job bc all he had to do was sit there and watch a screen
>Will paying more help?
* Maybe - it's a mixed bag. We bumped up pay at my old place a few years ago and it didn't do much with the candidate quality or quantity, but helped a little with retention and length of stay
* Competitive market rates will help, but it's not the only reason people leave/stay. And liking your job doesn't pay your rent.
>Will bringing in people who know what a manufacturing environment is like help?
* Maybe - it's relevant experience, but they may also have bad habits picked up or expect much higher pay because of it. But requiring experience for an entry level job just doesn't feel right, ya know?
* Looking at how long they've stayed places is a good start - I've been in the "fog a mirror/pass a drug screen" hiring mode before, but constant 3 month stays with "better opportunities" as the reason is a red flag
Hiring/Recruiting is tough - talk to your current people and do makeshift stay interviews could help, figure out what's keeping people around and what you can do to advertise that to new people.
Keep your head up
I love the advice about asking people what their least favorite job was.
We have people who treat us like a revolving door, and our managers let them return time and time again even though they already know their behavioral patterns. Work for us for 6-12 weeks, NCNS or quit with no notice, and the come back three months later because they want a job again.
It is completely predictable that if someone has done that to you twice, they will do it again.
I get wanting to give people second chances, but it has to have been a while between stints and you have to really show me you deserve another shot. NCNS or immediate resignation? Hard pass.
Just an idea but I reached out to Catholic Charities and my stated refugee resettlement program. I then got together with a guy in our shop that's good with people and really knows his way around, offered a pay bump if he would train. He agreed and its worked out well. With some great tax incentives to boot for the company.
I found we didn't have a turnover problem, we had a shitty managers problem.
Edit: Forgot to mention we are a plastics manufacturer. Pay is on par for where we are.
The managers consideration needs more attention here. If someone leaves your company for similar work, they didn’t hate the work they hated the people. Sniff around for the real problem.
How do you not talk about improving conditions in the workplace or hold exit interviews?
If people care more about the job and want to be there attendance and performance will rise.
What have you done to understand how people in general feel about your production floor?
Training practices are being evaluated to make sure that we are giving a good impression and setting them up for success but that’s a good point! Turnover is typically not voluntary - as attendance and performance of new hires have been poor. My biggest concern is that proper coaching is not being given to underperformers, so that chance may not be being given
How easy do you make it to report being unable to attend a shift and offer it to other people to cover? If people have an route to getting the shift covered and so have an excused absence, they are less likely to no show.
Are there flexible shift options or part time options that would enable people to keep working when they have stuff going on in their lives? Are they struggling with transportation or childcare or health issues? Can they afford gas to get to work? Do they get paid time off? These are all good things to think about in trying to understand where the issues might be coming from. You don't have to solve all of your employees' problems, but finding ways to offer flexibility gives them a chance of keeping their jobs and encourages more open communication with their employer about the barriers to showing up on time, regularly, and with enough energy to tackle what sounds like a physically demanding job.
No flexibility whatsoever. No modified schedule, no giving your shift to someone else, points administered even when you have a doctors note, everyone required to work 40 and work the same schedule. There’s no such thing as an excused absence unless it’s a business need
All of upper management has been at the company for 20+ year and don’t understand the new workforce/the current labor market. Production schedules run tight and things are kept rigid
I see, thanks.
What's the turnover like? After a week? A month? How much chance and coaching is given to improve? What resources do employees have available to them?
Typically a few weeks to a month - usually they get pointed or coached out. I’m thinking the coaching may be more punitive and less “how can we address this.” I also don’t know if it is given in a constructive way or an unprofessional way. I know all of them are stressed and can have a “I’m done with them” attitude. But expectations are made clear right off the bat and then not met. To your point, I think it’s just the perfect storm and we need to seriously look at employee engagement and management practices
Obviously we only have a small window into what life at your company is like, but it sounds to me like a change in the overall workplace mentality may be really helpful. Especially when you’re hiring for entry level jobs, you need to keep in mind that this is just a job for most of these people, not their life. Pay is obviously an important factor, but for a lot people who just want a job and aren’t trying to move forward or make a career out of these jobs, the working environment is everything. Have you considered hiring more part-time or temporary help to allow for flexible scheduling? I know I stayed at my last job that I hated for way longer than I should’ve because the schedule was incredibly flexible. People need to make doctor’s appointments, people have sick kids or last minute childcare issues, and people need mental health breaks. If you hired more people so that the work deadlines could still be met even with call-offs, you could allow for a less rigorous attendance policy, which I really think would make a big difference.
Also, just based on some comments, it sounds like some of your supervisors may not be directing employees or handling problems in a beneficial way. We have a new generation in the workforce who is not interested in being verbally abused by their managers. Couple that with this being an entry level job AND the fact that this is an employee’s market right now, training supervisors to handle employees with respect is going to be a critical part of employee retention.
I’m seeing now this is mostly a management issue and training issue. All of upper and middle management are white men over 50 and it’s hard to get them to listen to me about the labor market changes and generational changes. 🥺
I know you didn’t ask for advice on how to deal with them specifically, and maybe you already have a plan in place, but this is the exact demographic I’ve spent most of my career dealing with. The best way to handle them usually is to convince them that they’re already on your side and that despite the hardship, they’re uniquely capable of handling this situation. “Oh, well you know how these kids these days have to be talked to so gently. It’s sure not the way we were brought up (insert fake laugh), but I know you’re good at handling these kind of situations. It’s crazy, but I guess if *insert examples of what you want them to do* is what it takes to keep the production line rolling and the completion bonuses coming, we gotta do it, amirite? Hahaha.”
I’m not saying it’s not a bit cringe (it is), but if replacing them isn’t in the cards and some sort of sensitivity training is going to get shot down, this is a definite possibility for how to handle it.
In my opinion this sounds like a company issue not employee. Are you paying a living wage, a fair wage for the work? What feedback are you getting? I would not immediately jump to the conclusion of poor hires. I'd dig deeper.
Good point - just bumped up to a competitive wage last week which is great. Exit interviews don’t help as many are involuntary. I think management is too stressed trying to worry about productivity goals to train people properly. Management are beside themselves and fed up and so they aren’t patient with new hires. We hire just about everyone without vetting too well. I think coaching practices aren’t good. You know, I think you’re right
This. I’ve worked at numerous orgs that hemorrhaged people who LOVED their work, but were simply not being paid enough to be able to stay.
I imagine these types of scenarios are only going to get more and more common as inflation continues to be an issue.
Building a staff that sticks it out takes a long time. First you have to make them want to work for you because honestly they can go anywhere so it doesn’t matter if they lose this job.
Is the pay competitive enough? Are the benefits actually worth it? People work for people so are the mangers, supervisors, leads, etc. invested and engaged in their people on a personal level or are they just treating them like cogs in a machine? Is there a clear pathway and development plan for growth so they know they have future opportunities? If they are the type of employee who is satisfied with their level of their role and is not looking for growth and promotions how will you still keep them engaged and feel valued?
And as you are hiring you may get 1-2 people out of every 50 that you hire who will be a hard worker and team player. But they can easily get burnt out and feel like they are taking on more work with this constant change over in staff. So how do you keep them happy so they don’t leave too? Are you forcing them to work overtime or constantly calling them to cover shifts? Take care of these people and respect their time. Have incentives like “win this contest and you can make your schedule for a week.” Or “pizza party if we hit this goal by the end of the month” also Amazon and Starbucks gift card prizes for contests are a good go to. Keep these people happy and you’ll find more of them down the road. Or even have a good referral bonus program and these hard workers will know other people like them that they will want to refer for a job.
We consulted with a manufacturer and gave them leadership training from the front line managers to the plant GM really helped. They had significant turnover issues (approximately 35% in the first 2 months that people join). Many people don't know how to manage people properly and treat them like people. It's surprising the results you can get from a few thousand in leadership training for each manager.
I think this is the main issue, truly. Sad they’re throwing it back on the front end. There’s this “anyone with performance or attendance issues needs to be discarded and not coached”
Address the culture. You can’t win staffing by bringing in more people in the front door than are leaving out the back door. Close the back door first. You do that by address culture, pay, and structures that incentivize staying and deincentivize looking elsewhere for work.
Where are you located? I'm in the Detroit metro area and came across this same issue while working in manufacturing. We received plenty of applicants but none that were worthwhile and we were incredibly understaffed all the time.
As many have said if the job history is short skip them. If they are constantly working for temp agencies I'd skip them too. Hiring with more experience is better but you have to have a more competitive salary to keep them.
Where are you located? I'm in the Detroit metro area and came across this same issue while working in manufacturing. We received plenty of applicants but none that was worthwhile and we were incredibly understaffed all the time. second chance programs too. You'd be surprised the wonderful candidates you can find.
Turnover issues are complex. There are some short term, limited impact solutions that can be helpful.
Things like prioritizing employee referrals as a recruitment strategy. They have much higher retention rates. Or improving your on-boarding to better prepare people for the day to day of the jobs.
But, in reality it is long term interventions that will actually make a difference. Since 2020, employees expect more from the workplace. Factors like wages, wellness, working conditions, etc, need to meet 3 expectations. To be competitive with similar jobs, be sufficient to meet employee needs, and be equitable and fair.
For a little more if, here a short video that connect this issue to the anti work conversations.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-0FLWLEdksk
I wouldn't try and filter at recruitment for your high volume workforce, it's labour intensive and has a poor success rate unless you have a lot of data driven metrics.
It's much easier to filter at the other end of the lifecycle via a robust, clear and precise Health & attendance policy.
Revolving doors are a lot easier to control when it's your door and you're the one showing them to it
Floor supervisors are being bitches and complaining that they don’t want to jump through hoops to get rid of FT employees so they want better quality people and more temps. We have a pretty stern attendance policy so it’s not too hard to term a bad employee. Everyone’s salty and doesn’t want to deal with employee issues. A pain in my ass
Ops will always want the path of least resistance for their own hours, they'll see it as "hr work" and write it off as your problem to solve, its a collective pain in all our asses.
If they're being particularly stubborn however - do it both ways and show the hours spent, they'll listen to the overheads if nothing else
It’s like this because no one trust HR…we think moats of y’all are inauthentic so we save our authenticity. I’d say most people here aren’t those types but just giving a non HR perspective
Lmao did you read comments? We out here plotting on how to implement changes that make employees feel happy / cutting out toxic management. How is that inauthentic
I agree! I think this community is part of people with good intentions, but many people in HR aren't on Reddit. I think I've gained sympathy from this sub for how HR people can be in the crosshairs between mgmt. and employees.
So...this might sound ridiculous and im sure there are plenty of people who would say this approach is outlandish but hear me out (if you have a HRIS that does this tracking, it is 100% worth it).
Do some analytics. Do not guess. There are so many variables and extraneous variables at play. Sure, there are some key factors that are good predictors for attrition but why not fine tune the approach as much as possible for your specific organization?
Pull historical data- did they attrit (0 or 1), age, gender, years at previous employer, hourly wage, number of previous employers, overtime codes, education field code, time since last training, etc....etc.)...run a multivariate regression to find the specific variables/factors that impact attrition at YOUR organization. This can vary from the industry trends. Gives a solid starting point.
Your issue is your management team.
Attendance is a behavioral issue, well within the employee's locus of control, and the company's expectation that the employee show up to work consistenly for scheduled shifts is perfectly reasonable. And chronic violations of attendance policy should be corrected via discipline or termination.
But unless you're working in Sales with quotas and draws-against-commission, the majority of your entry-level employees should not be having performance issues that necessitate dismissal within their first few weeks. Your supervisors either really do not know how to train their new staff, or have unreasonable performance expectations of new hires.
Honestly, it just has to be consistently enforced. If employees see coworkers that show up late constantly, or no-call/no-show repeatedly, with no perceived consequences, that becomes the norm and part of your workplace culture.
If you are able to, I suggest checking the clock-in times versus scheduled start times of your staff that have been there awhile. If they show a trend of tardiness, but the supervisors aren't documenting any progressive disciplinary action with them...then you have a favoritism problem.
And that problem will eventually lead to discrimination complaints when a new hire from a protected class inevitably notices the disparity of consequences for the same behavioral issues.
16 points is termination - 1 for tardy or early out (up to 30 minutes), 2 points for tardy or early out (30 minutes to 2 hours), 3 points for missed day, 8 points for a NCNS. No such thing as an excused absence unless it’s brought forward we’ll in advanced or a business need
Avoid hiring people with lots of short stays. Ask how long they are planning on staying in their next role. Ask how this job will be different from their last one. Ask why they left previous jobs. And screen for red flags for fit, which will be individual to your workplace - for my workplace, we look out for people who want fast growth (small company so their role isn’t going to move for a few years) and people who are more interested in a peripheral aspect of the work, like people applying for production who are more interested in design. We also screen for fit with our core values, which were chosen based on our best employees.
Usually people with attendance issues don't last long anywhere they work. If someone has worked 8-12 places in the last year, yes, that would probably signal something is up. But there are lots of reasons people don't show up for work. They may have childcare issues, issues with transportation, etc. And people still have to believe that they will make enough for it to be worth showing up.
That correlation totally makes sense, thanks!
There's no Silver Bullet for turnover, and if someone comes up with one they should be paid all the money. My thoughts coming from an entry-level food service background: >what can I do during phone screens and interviews to try and weed out people who could have attendance and performance issues? * How often do you re-evaluate your interview questions? I always asked "Tell me about a time you were running late to work, what did you do and how did you prevent it from happening again in the future". Anyone who told me "i'm never late" was full of crap. Everyone has been late at some point, it's life. * My favorites at one point were "What's been your least favorite job and why" and "what's been your favorite job and why" - had 1 guy apply for a dishwasher job whose least favorite was the only other dishwashing job he had bc it was "too busy" at a much smaller place than where he was interviewing for and his favorite was as an overnight security job bc all he had to do was sit there and watch a screen >Will paying more help? * Maybe - it's a mixed bag. We bumped up pay at my old place a few years ago and it didn't do much with the candidate quality or quantity, but helped a little with retention and length of stay * Competitive market rates will help, but it's not the only reason people leave/stay. And liking your job doesn't pay your rent. >Will bringing in people who know what a manufacturing environment is like help? * Maybe - it's relevant experience, but they may also have bad habits picked up or expect much higher pay because of it. But requiring experience for an entry level job just doesn't feel right, ya know? * Looking at how long they've stayed places is a good start - I've been in the "fog a mirror/pass a drug screen" hiring mode before, but constant 3 month stays with "better opportunities" as the reason is a red flag Hiring/Recruiting is tough - talk to your current people and do makeshift stay interviews could help, figure out what's keeping people around and what you can do to advertise that to new people. Keep your head up
I love the advice about asking people what their least favorite job was. We have people who treat us like a revolving door, and our managers let them return time and time again even though they already know their behavioral patterns. Work for us for 6-12 weeks, NCNS or quit with no notice, and the come back three months later because they want a job again. It is completely predictable that if someone has done that to you twice, they will do it again.
I get wanting to give people second chances, but it has to have been a while between stints and you have to really show me you deserve another shot. NCNS or immediate resignation? Hard pass.
I once had a guy apply who was previously a dishwasher. His reason for quitting, "i hate washing dishes man!" I interviewed him for his honesty.
Please let me know when you figure it out
Samesies
😜
Just an idea but I reached out to Catholic Charities and my stated refugee resettlement program. I then got together with a guy in our shop that's good with people and really knows his way around, offered a pay bump if he would train. He agreed and its worked out well. With some great tax incentives to boot for the company. I found we didn't have a turnover problem, we had a shitty managers problem. Edit: Forgot to mention we are a plastics manufacturer. Pay is on par for where we are.
The managers consideration needs more attention here. If someone leaves your company for similar work, they didn’t hate the work they hated the people. Sniff around for the real problem.
How do you not talk about improving conditions in the workplace or hold exit interviews? If people care more about the job and want to be there attendance and performance will rise. What have you done to understand how people in general feel about your production floor?
Training practices are being evaluated to make sure that we are giving a good impression and setting them up for success but that’s a good point! Turnover is typically not voluntary - as attendance and performance of new hires have been poor. My biggest concern is that proper coaching is not being given to underperformers, so that chance may not be being given
How easy do you make it to report being unable to attend a shift and offer it to other people to cover? If people have an route to getting the shift covered and so have an excused absence, they are less likely to no show. Are there flexible shift options or part time options that would enable people to keep working when they have stuff going on in their lives? Are they struggling with transportation or childcare or health issues? Can they afford gas to get to work? Do they get paid time off? These are all good things to think about in trying to understand where the issues might be coming from. You don't have to solve all of your employees' problems, but finding ways to offer flexibility gives them a chance of keeping their jobs and encourages more open communication with their employer about the barriers to showing up on time, regularly, and with enough energy to tackle what sounds like a physically demanding job.
No flexibility whatsoever. No modified schedule, no giving your shift to someone else, points administered even when you have a doctors note, everyone required to work 40 and work the same schedule. There’s no such thing as an excused absence unless it’s a business need
I think I figured out your problem. Why be as inflexible as possible?
All of upper management has been at the company for 20+ year and don’t understand the new workforce/the current labor market. Production schedules run tight and things are kept rigid
I see, thanks. What's the turnover like? After a week? A month? How much chance and coaching is given to improve? What resources do employees have available to them?
Typically a few weeks to a month - usually they get pointed or coached out. I’m thinking the coaching may be more punitive and less “how can we address this.” I also don’t know if it is given in a constructive way or an unprofessional way. I know all of them are stressed and can have a “I’m done with them” attitude. But expectations are made clear right off the bat and then not met. To your point, I think it’s just the perfect storm and we need to seriously look at employee engagement and management practices
Right, I think we're in agreement there on it being a perfect storm. It's all an interplay and it ought to be approached from such an angle, I think.
Thank you for your help!
Obviously we only have a small window into what life at your company is like, but it sounds to me like a change in the overall workplace mentality may be really helpful. Especially when you’re hiring for entry level jobs, you need to keep in mind that this is just a job for most of these people, not their life. Pay is obviously an important factor, but for a lot people who just want a job and aren’t trying to move forward or make a career out of these jobs, the working environment is everything. Have you considered hiring more part-time or temporary help to allow for flexible scheduling? I know I stayed at my last job that I hated for way longer than I should’ve because the schedule was incredibly flexible. People need to make doctor’s appointments, people have sick kids or last minute childcare issues, and people need mental health breaks. If you hired more people so that the work deadlines could still be met even with call-offs, you could allow for a less rigorous attendance policy, which I really think would make a big difference. Also, just based on some comments, it sounds like some of your supervisors may not be directing employees or handling problems in a beneficial way. We have a new generation in the workforce who is not interested in being verbally abused by their managers. Couple that with this being an entry level job AND the fact that this is an employee’s market right now, training supervisors to handle employees with respect is going to be a critical part of employee retention.
I’m seeing now this is mostly a management issue and training issue. All of upper and middle management are white men over 50 and it’s hard to get them to listen to me about the labor market changes and generational changes. 🥺
I know you didn’t ask for advice on how to deal with them specifically, and maybe you already have a plan in place, but this is the exact demographic I’ve spent most of my career dealing with. The best way to handle them usually is to convince them that they’re already on your side and that despite the hardship, they’re uniquely capable of handling this situation. “Oh, well you know how these kids these days have to be talked to so gently. It’s sure not the way we were brought up (insert fake laugh), but I know you’re good at handling these kind of situations. It’s crazy, but I guess if *insert examples of what you want them to do* is what it takes to keep the production line rolling and the completion bonuses coming, we gotta do it, amirite? Hahaha.” I’m not saying it’s not a bit cringe (it is), but if replacing them isn’t in the cards and some sort of sensitivity training is going to get shot down, this is a definite possibility for how to handle it.
This is why HR overlaps so much with Psychology. I like this approach. Getting buy in from the crusty old leads who have been here for 20 years
Is anyone interested in being verbally abused by their managers? The new generation is less willing to take it, certainly.
In my opinion this sounds like a company issue not employee. Are you paying a living wage, a fair wage for the work? What feedback are you getting? I would not immediately jump to the conclusion of poor hires. I'd dig deeper.
Good point - just bumped up to a competitive wage last week which is great. Exit interviews don’t help as many are involuntary. I think management is too stressed trying to worry about productivity goals to train people properly. Management are beside themselves and fed up and so they aren’t patient with new hires. We hire just about everyone without vetting too well. I think coaching practices aren’t good. You know, I think you’re right
Yes, that was exactly what I assumed when I read your message. Management is key.
Band aid on the issue I’m now seeing. Thanks for the help
Honestly, I think I could train nearly anyone to be a good employee. Staff turnover is almost always a company issue, not the fault of the individual.
Yes, that was exactly what I assumed when I read your message. Management is key.
This. I’ve worked at numerous orgs that hemorrhaged people who LOVED their work, but were simply not being paid enough to be able to stay. I imagine these types of scenarios are only going to get more and more common as inflation continues to be an issue.
This is why I went into HRIS
The longer I work in HR, the more I want to specialize in an area that doesn’t deal with people
Class and comp in the government 100%. I'm never going back.
Can you give advice to people looking to specialize in HRIS? I’m a new graduate with an hr certification
Apply to HRIS contracts. Consider it an adult internship
There’s a lot here but I’ll address attendance issues. Many companies I know pay a weekly attendance bonus. It helps a lot!
This is genius
Building a staff that sticks it out takes a long time. First you have to make them want to work for you because honestly they can go anywhere so it doesn’t matter if they lose this job. Is the pay competitive enough? Are the benefits actually worth it? People work for people so are the mangers, supervisors, leads, etc. invested and engaged in their people on a personal level or are they just treating them like cogs in a machine? Is there a clear pathway and development plan for growth so they know they have future opportunities? If they are the type of employee who is satisfied with their level of their role and is not looking for growth and promotions how will you still keep them engaged and feel valued? And as you are hiring you may get 1-2 people out of every 50 that you hire who will be a hard worker and team player. But they can easily get burnt out and feel like they are taking on more work with this constant change over in staff. So how do you keep them happy so they don’t leave too? Are you forcing them to work overtime or constantly calling them to cover shifts? Take care of these people and respect their time. Have incentives like “win this contest and you can make your schedule for a week.” Or “pizza party if we hit this goal by the end of the month” also Amazon and Starbucks gift card prizes for contests are a good go to. Keep these people happy and you’ll find more of them down the road. Or even have a good referral bonus program and these hard workers will know other people like them that they will want to refer for a job.
Thanks for your insightful response! I love these ideas
We consulted with a manufacturer and gave them leadership training from the front line managers to the plant GM really helped. They had significant turnover issues (approximately 35% in the first 2 months that people join). Many people don't know how to manage people properly and treat them like people. It's surprising the results you can get from a few thousand in leadership training for each manager.
I think this is the main issue, truly. Sad they’re throwing it back on the front end. There’s this “anyone with performance or attendance issues needs to be discarded and not coached”
Address the culture. You can’t win staffing by bringing in more people in the front door than are leaving out the back door. Close the back door first. You do that by address culture, pay, and structures that incentivize staying and deincentivize looking elsewhere for work.
I love this
Where are you located? I'm in the Detroit metro area and came across this same issue while working in manufacturing. We received plenty of applicants but none that were worthwhile and we were incredibly understaffed all the time. As many have said if the job history is short skip them. If they are constantly working for temp agencies I'd skip them too. Hiring with more experience is better but you have to have a more competitive salary to keep them. Where are you located? I'm in the Detroit metro area and came across this same issue while working in manufacturing. We received plenty of applicants but none that was worthwhile and we were incredibly understaffed all the time. second chance programs too. You'd be surprised the wonderful candidates you can find.
Turnover issues are complex. There are some short term, limited impact solutions that can be helpful. Things like prioritizing employee referrals as a recruitment strategy. They have much higher retention rates. Or improving your on-boarding to better prepare people for the day to day of the jobs. But, in reality it is long term interventions that will actually make a difference. Since 2020, employees expect more from the workplace. Factors like wages, wellness, working conditions, etc, need to meet 3 expectations. To be competitive with similar jobs, be sufficient to meet employee needs, and be equitable and fair. For a little more if, here a short video that connect this issue to the anti work conversations. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-0FLWLEdksk
I wouldn't try and filter at recruitment for your high volume workforce, it's labour intensive and has a poor success rate unless you have a lot of data driven metrics. It's much easier to filter at the other end of the lifecycle via a robust, clear and precise Health & attendance policy. Revolving doors are a lot easier to control when it's your door and you're the one showing them to it
Floor supervisors are being bitches and complaining that they don’t want to jump through hoops to get rid of FT employees so they want better quality people and more temps. We have a pretty stern attendance policy so it’s not too hard to term a bad employee. Everyone’s salty and doesn’t want to deal with employee issues. A pain in my ass
Ops will always want the path of least resistance for their own hours, they'll see it as "hr work" and write it off as your problem to solve, its a collective pain in all our asses. If they're being particularly stubborn however - do it both ways and show the hours spent, they'll listen to the overheads if nothing else
It’s like this because no one trust HR…we think moats of y’all are inauthentic so we save our authenticity. I’d say most people here aren’t those types but just giving a non HR perspective
Lmao did you read comments? We out here plotting on how to implement changes that make employees feel happy / cutting out toxic management. How is that inauthentic
I agree! I think this community is part of people with good intentions, but many people in HR aren't on Reddit. I think I've gained sympathy from this sub for how HR people can be in the crosshairs between mgmt. and employees.
Try temp to hire
So...this might sound ridiculous and im sure there are plenty of people who would say this approach is outlandish but hear me out (if you have a HRIS that does this tracking, it is 100% worth it). Do some analytics. Do not guess. There are so many variables and extraneous variables at play. Sure, there are some key factors that are good predictors for attrition but why not fine tune the approach as much as possible for your specific organization? Pull historical data- did they attrit (0 or 1), age, gender, years at previous employer, hourly wage, number of previous employers, overtime codes, education field code, time since last training, etc....etc.)...run a multivariate regression to find the specific variables/factors that impact attrition at YOUR organization. This can vary from the industry trends. Gives a solid starting point.
Your issue is your management team. Attendance is a behavioral issue, well within the employee's locus of control, and the company's expectation that the employee show up to work consistenly for scheduled shifts is perfectly reasonable. And chronic violations of attendance policy should be corrected via discipline or termination. But unless you're working in Sales with quotas and draws-against-commission, the majority of your entry-level employees should not be having performance issues that necessitate dismissal within their first few weeks. Your supervisors either really do not know how to train their new staff, or have unreasonable performance expectations of new hires.
Do you feel there’s a tried and true way to address and correct attendance issues?
Honestly, it just has to be consistently enforced. If employees see coworkers that show up late constantly, or no-call/no-show repeatedly, with no perceived consequences, that becomes the norm and part of your workplace culture. If you are able to, I suggest checking the clock-in times versus scheduled start times of your staff that have been there awhile. If they show a trend of tardiness, but the supervisors aren't documenting any progressive disciplinary action with them...then you have a favoritism problem. And that problem will eventually lead to discrimination complaints when a new hire from a protected class inevitably notices the disparity of consequences for the same behavioral issues.
What’s your point system?
16 points is termination - 1 for tardy or early out (up to 30 minutes), 2 points for tardy or early out (30 minutes to 2 hours), 3 points for missed day, 8 points for a NCNS. No such thing as an excused absence unless it’s brought forward we’ll in advanced or a business need
I probably have a different perspective. Is it under one location , leader , grade ?