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Does Your Supply Chain Talent Want to Leave?

Globalism has created a whole new ballgame in supply chain. And technology can level the proverbial playing field. So having good supply chain employees matters more than ever.

But there’s a shortage of good supply chain talent out there, and many of your competitors have access to the same resources you do. So if you’re not trying to meet your top employees’ needs and keep them happy, chances are they’re going to jump ship—and possibly take some of your best customers with them.

How can you retain your top supply chain talent in today’s competitive market? Make sure the grass is greenest on your side of the fence. In other words, make your company a place where employees truly want to be.

Here are seven steps you can take right now:

1. Be clear about your company values and culture. Be honest about your work environment. If your corporate culture isn’t quite what you’d like it to be, talk to your employees about the type of company you want to become, how you plan to get there, and how they can help you achieve those goals.

2. Customize your company-paid benefits. Figure out which type will mean the most to your particular employees. Would it be access to dry-cleaning services? Free dinner for employees who work late? Flexible schedules for those who have young children or are caring for an elderly relative?

3. Help them achieve work/life balance. When you help employees find stability in their personal lives, when they are at work, they can focus on getting the job done.

4. Take a lesson from Google. Create the kind of environment where people can do their best work. Make sure your employees have the basic resources they need—equipment, software, etc.—to work efficiently. Nothing frustrates employees more than not having the tools they need to get the job done.

5. Make vacations mandatory. Research has proven that employees who take time off from work are less stressed, lead a healthier lifestyle and are at lower risk of having heart disease.  It also means lower health care costs for you and a lower possibility of your employees suffering burnout.

6. Listen to what they have to say before it’s too late. Instead of conducting only exit interviews, conduct “stay” interviews. This gives you the chance to gauge how well you’re meeting your employees’ needs. It also gives employees the opportunity to make suggestions on what you and the company can do to improve.

7. Make sure you have great leaders. There’s a popular saying: “employees don’t quit their job, they quit their managers.” Great employees working under poor leaders will not stay.

In today’s supply chain climate, if your employees feel underappreciated, overworked or unheard, they will look for another employer who appreciates their hard work and efforts. Yes, sometimes people leave for their own reasons—a change in career path or the urge to move on and explore other options. But if you want to create a successful supply chain environment, you need to keep your best employees—and keep them happy and engaged!

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