We have a good orientation, but lately we have been losing a number of new hires. We have looked at pay and benefits and other parts of the job, but cannot figure out what is causing the problem. What do you suggest?
When new employees are leaving, it is normal to start looking at the usual suspects, such as pay, benefits, working conditions and supervision. The problem is that this is a random approach, which means you may not stumble across the answer.
A more effective step is to go to the source, namely the departing new hires. One compelling way to do so is through a formalized exit interview asking employees their reasons for leaving. It's important to remember that their initial responses may be rote, so be sure to use open-ended questions to reach a deeper level. You do not have to be the grand inquisitor, but questions starting with who, what, and why can be particularly helpful.
Another step that often helps reduce early turnover is the use of mentors. New hires often leave because they feel ignored, confused and lost. With a formalized mentor program, the employee has a much greater chance of having a running start and staying in the race.
Whenever our manager makes a mistake, he blames one of us and is verbally abusive if we challenge him. He is in a very senior position in the company, and there is no one to speak with if we want to complain. Is there anything we can do to get him to admit his mistakes and stop blaming us?
While your manager wants to convince you that he did not make the mistake, he is even more interested in convincing himself that he was not wrong. When he starts to get abusive, it simply means that his mistakes are coming closer to the surface, so he is going to fight harder to bury them, and perhaps bury you in the process.
One strategy is to document more of your work and his role in it. In some cases, when bullies like your manager unequivocally see that an error is theirs, they might not openly admit it, but they may refrain from blaming someone else. The risk involved with this approach is that by placing your manager in the spotlight, he may attack even harder.
One strategy that might help avoid this outcome is to team up with some of your associates when dealing with him. If you try these approaches and still find that he is blaming you, no one would blame you for leaving.
Ken Lloyd is a management consultant and coach who specializes in organizational behavior. He is the author of "Be the Boss Your Employees Deserve." Write him at:
nytsyn-lloyd@nytimes.com
