Melissa Bolton is the Human Resource Manager/Director at Perlon-Hahl Inc.
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I know that by the end of last year, most of us were very ready to say goodbye to 2020. It was a rough year for many, including us at Perlon, but there are many good things that came from 2020 and are still continuing. Even with the Covid-19 pandemic, our company managed to keep a low turnover rate of 3.96% average for the year. We were able to keep our absenteeism rate down to an average of 1.71% for the year and had zero lost-time accidents. For a normal year, those are great results; for 2020, those are amazing results.
The truth is that results like this can be achieved by any company that is committed to working as a team. Every human resource manager should keep a record of these numbers and report them monthly and review them yearly. It's important data to have, and besides that, it's enjoyable to see the progress your company makes as each year continues to get better, even in the midst of a crisis.
These numbers should be posted on the company floor, in the breakroom or online so each and every employee can benefit from seeing how their great efforts contributed. This shares with employees the excitement of looking to see how they do this year compared to the prior years.
Achieving metrics like these requires commitment, enjoying your job and being dedicated. Leaders must give employees something to look forward to, goals to meet and appropriate recognition for all of the hard work they have put in to help the company reach its goals.
Because let's all face it: Employees are what high retention and productivity numbers are dependent on. Encourage each employee to reach for the stars every day, and when they can actually see the metrics and the growth, it helps them get an idea of what they are doing for the company. As human resource managers, we can only calculate these numbers monthly or yearly, but ultimately, the workers are who create the metrics with their daily actions, so no one but them can take the credit for it.
Every workforce should have this outlook when it comes to meeting personnel KPIs. Importantly, leaders should always keep all employees involved and educated on what their individual KPIs mean and how much they affect the organization as a whole. At the end of the day, don't forget to reward the employees who have worked so hard for this. Breakroom boards, online announcements, celebratory cookouts and personally going to the employee and telling them you appreciate them works in more ways than you could ever imagine.
Always remember that while employees do not always not get credit for their individual performances, they are the ones who deserve the recognition. As an engaged human resources leader, you can always show and prove with data how well individuals and teams have done for the company's yearly goals and overall growth. This means your employees are less likely to look elsewhere, which in turn lowers your turnover rate and absenteeism rate. Last but not least, they are more likely to work safely, lowering workers' compensation claims and keeping everyone safe.
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