Retaining talent in niche industries like hospitality and senior services takes work. Unlike the tech industry, these organizations don’t have a Google-sized budget, and the nature of the job presents different challenges.
Dwayne Clark, founder and CEO at
Aegis Living, saw a distinction visiting Google’s campus about nine months ago, and realized his industry had a special challenge when it came to retaining talent.
The average software engineer at Google makes $127,770 each year, according to
Glassdoor data. The average line staff worker at Aegis’ senior living communities makes $11.37 an hour. Google workers experience colorful rooms, catered meals and sleeping pods daily. The staff at Aegis experiences death as a constant fact of life.
“We’re not playing with the same deck of cards,” Clark said, noting how different each industry’s approach to employee retention should be. “In service industries like this, leaders should come to work every day wondering what they can do for their employees.”
Motivating and hiring employees at Aegis requires some innovation, and Clark is winning an uphill battle. His senior living communities maintain a 40 percent turnover rate -- extremely low compared to the industry average, which could be as high as 135 percent by some
estimates.
Based on Clark’s experience, here is some advice for retaining talent in niche industries with high turnover:
Focus on what's driving your company culture
Instead of placing the responsibility of company culture in the hands of the CEO, Clark formed what he calls a cultural action committee (CAC).
“Every employee should think of driving the company culture as his or her job. If you want to work for a great culture, you have to
be a great culture,” Clark said.
The CAC comes up with ideas for fun things to do, based on what other organizations are doing, and presents them to managers. Aegis executes the events -- like crazy hat day, a trip to the circus and picnics in the park -- monthly.
Give innovative, not expensive perks
During dreary days at Aegis, Clark brings in a reflexologist to relieve his employees’ stress. If that doesn’t do the trick, the team goes go-cart racing, crashing into one another to work out frustration.
If you’re on a tight budget, Clark recommends advocating for your employees everywhere you go. When you go to the movie theater, ask if they’ll give your staff discounted tickets. When you go to the bank, ask if they can provide your employees with free checking accounts.
Seek out “soft benefits” centered on life improvements: inspirational conferences, merit raises, educational funding and career paths.
Be a relatable leader
Stepping into a new role, young leaders feel the pressure of having to know all the answers. In this mindset, vulnerability is not an option. But, Clark’s approach is the opposite. He uses a “management by vulnerability” method.
In this leadership style, it’s not about being perfect, but rather leading through experience of what you’ve done wrong. That kind of intimacy is reassuring and builds a bond between leadership and employees. This helps eliminate the distrust many corporate organizations experience.
“If you’re supervising a $12 per hour employee, he can’t relate to your MBA,” Clark said. “I talk far more about my personal screw-ups and my life than I do any of my accomplishments because it’s far more powerful.”
The more touch points you can give an employee to help them realize they are like you, the more they will relate to you.
Learn what employees really want
Since there isn’t a formula that works for every position and every person, Aegis is flexible to meet the needs of individual employees. At the senior living community, on-site employees can work on whatever project they want within the building. They can take off early on Friday to watch their kids play baseball. Some employees even work from home.
A key engagement tactic Clark uses is called “door jam time” where managers stand in the door jam and ask how their employees are doing. It creates open conversations that clue-in leaders to how they can improve employee happiness and well-being before it’s too late.
Clark’s highest priority remains growing his greatest commodity -- his employees. To hire the best of the best, Aegis Living looks to
Glassdoor for Employers tools, which allow employers to hire 2X greater applicant quality at a 30 percent lower cost per hire on average. Aegis Living welcomes some of its best hires from Glassdoor because the company is able to tell its unique story and showcase available positions to candidates already researching the organization.
In the service industry, employees are the bridge between your business and the customer. Though keeping them happy and engaged in such an industry presents more complicated challenges, those whom you take care of will stay with you for the long-haul and grow your organization.
For more information on how Dwayne has developed a culture of fostering employee engagement, check out
Aegis Living on Glassdoor.
About Heather R. Huhman:
Heather R. Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for job search and human resources technologies. She is also the instructor of Find Me A Job: How To Score A Job Before Your Friends, author of Lies, Damned Lies & Internships (2011) and #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets. Follow Heather below to receive all her articles!
