Tài liệu Hiring and Keeping the Best People 10 pdf

ing, accounting, and finance—demand outstripped supply, touching

off what has become known as the “war for talent.”Many companies

recognized that a lack of human talent was a serious constraint on

future growth and pulled all the stops in order to retain their most

valuable employees. Ernst & Young went so far as to establish an

Office of Retention with direct reporting responsibility to the

CEO. Others set up work-life balance programs to alleviate stress on

the home front. Casual dress regimens, on-site child care, and foos￾ball tables proliferated. More than a few companies allowed employ￾ees to bring their dogs to work. Books and magazine articles on

“how to keep your employees happy and productive” were cranked

out by the score.

The great war for talent in the United States appeared to end

with the recession that hit the country in late 2000.The high-tech

sector was the first to be hit. Even IT professionals—the people for￾merly in greatest demand—were furloughed by the thousands. Lay￾offs followed in other industries as the recession rippled through the

economy. Even Charles Schwab, a pioneer in the field of employee

development and work-life balance, was forced to downsize.

Between late 2000 and early 2002 the national unemployment rate

almost doubled.

But recessions don’t last forever, and most people recognized

that the war for talent would heat up again once the economy got

back on track. And in some sectors of the economy, the war never

really subsided.

So, what is the retention situation in your business? Are all of

your employees toiling happily in the company vineyards? Don’t bet

on it. According to a 1999 study of 2,000 employees by Hudson

Institute and Walker Information:1

• 33 percent are “high risk”—that is, they are not committed to

their present employer and not planning to stick around for the

next two years;

• 39 percent are “trapped”—they aren’t committed to the organ￾ization but are currently planning to stay for the next two

years; and

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