Thursday, August 01, 2002
Employers Use Fun to Fight Turnover
Greg Smith notes that: "A company experiencing high turnover has a serious financial problem. It costs anywhere from $4000-$15,000 to recruit, hire and train a new employee. One Atlanta company lost 420 of the 431 employees they hired this year. If it cost them $4000 per employee that equates to a $1.7 million loss." Consequently, if there's any way to make work more attractive (read "fun"), there are significant payoffs for the corporation.
In this article he gives us 21 case-study-like examples of initiatives for bringing more fun to work. Here's a particularly encouraging example: "The Extra Mile- United Services Automobile Association (USAA) provides blank "Thank You" note stationary for their workers called The Extra Mile. Employees are encouraged to say "Thank You" to each other for the help they receive at work. The most surprising thing happened on the first day USAA printed the notes . . . they ran out! The company couldn't keep up with the demand."
My take on the Fun & Work thing is that there is another strategy - one that involves the discovery and nurturing of the fun of work.
In this article he gives us 21 case-study-like examples of initiatives for bringing more fun to work. Here's a particularly encouraging example: "The Extra Mile- United Services Automobile Association (USAA) provides blank "Thank You" note stationary for their workers called The Extra Mile. Employees are encouraged to say "Thank You" to each other for the help they receive at work. The most surprising thing happened on the first day USAA printed the notes . . . they ran out! The company couldn't keep up with the demand."
My take on the Fun & Work thing is that there is another strategy - one that involves the discovery and nurturing of the fun of work.
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