Virginia Human Resources Today - Summer 2008 - (Page 21)

RETENTION: By Keith F. LaShomb, SPHR A Strategic Approach Your most effective recruiting tool may well be to retain productive contributors from your current employee pool. But how do we do this? There are no quick ﬁ xes or easy answers. How do we take a strategic approach to retention that will have a broad and perpetual effect on an organization? The Human Capital Initiative Model was designed by Steve Smith with the Department of Corrections (DOC) in Richmond, Va. The goal of the project was to create a partnership between the human resources central ofﬁce staff and individual units through an HRbased facilitation team. A key ingredient is enhancing workplace cohesion. The Human Capital Initiatives Model has been made available to DOC sites throughout the state. Key initiatives are to incorporate employee input into the effective operation of an organization. Employees become integral The terms recruiting and retention are often used in unison when we speak of human resource initiatives. From a functional standpoint, however, recruiting and retention efforts at the organizational level are often independent ventures. When there are a number of critical positions vacant and the director or CEO wants answers, it can be difﬁcult to keep that ugly term “crisis management” out of the situation. When there is pressure to ﬁ ll a vacancy, managers and HR professionals both understand quite well the pitfalls of hiring the ﬁ rst “warm body” that meets the minimum qualiﬁcations. A bad hiring decision can haunt an organization for years. As we approach an era when attracting and retaining highly qualiﬁed applicants is going to be a critical organizational and HR dilemma, innovative approaches to recruiting and strategic retention initiatives will be imperative. HUMAN CAPITAL INITIATIVE Beginning in 2007, the Bland Correctional Center (Bland, Va.) began an aggressive initiative to incorporate human capital initiatives into the mainstream of the centers’ operation. How do we take a strategic approach to retention that will have a broad and perpetual effect on an organization? 21 © Yuri_arcurs | Dreamstime.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Virginia Human Resources Today - Summer 2008

Virginia Human Resources Today - Summer 2008 Contents 2008 State Council Officers and Directors President’s Message: Treasure Hunt Hire the Best, Keep the Best Legalislative Update: Legislative Roundup 2008 Conference and Expo Preview Virginia Universities Score Big at the Southerst Regional HR Games! Retention: A Strategic Approach The Top Ten Best Practices for Retention Employee Recognition and Retention Tactics for Winning the Talent War Your SHRM Southeast Regional Team Index to Advertisers Advertisers.com

Virginia Human Resources Today - Summer 2008

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