Understanding Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: A Guide to Hiring and Retaining Employees

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a popular model for understanding human psychology and motivation.  

It outlines the five different levels of needs that humans have, starting from physiological needs such as food, water, and shelter, all the way up to self-actualization, which involves personal growth and development.  

I believe that this model has significant implications for hiring and retaining employees in the workplace. 

Firstly, when people are looking for a job, their physiological and safety needs are typically already met in modern society. 

However, they still need to feel that their job will provide security and safety. The next level of needs is love and belonging, which involves having social connections, including family and friends. In the workplace, this translates into having a sense of community and feeling that one belongs in the workplace.  

The fourth level is self-esteem, which is about feeling worthy and appreciated, and this can be achieved through positive feedback at work.  

Finally, self-actualization involves using one’s potential to become more effective, knowledgeable, and skilled. 

When it comes to hiring and retaining employees, it is essential to understand how Maslow’s hierarchy of needs affects their perceptions.  

If employees feel that their needs for safety, security, belonging, and self-esteem are being met, they are less likely to seek other employment. However, if they stop growing and developing, they may feel outdated and be less confident about their ability to find another job. 

Therefore, to retain employees, it is essential to provide opportunities for growth, recognition, and development.  

Companies can offer training programs, mentoring, and coaching to help employees reach their potential and move up the hierarchy of needs.  

When employees feel valued and challenged, they are more likely to stay and contribute to the company’s success. 

In conclusion, understanding Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is crucial for hiring and retaining employees.  

By providing opportunities for growth and development, companies can create a work environment that meets employees’ needs, leading to higher job satisfaction and retention rates. 

hire smart people

Tell People What You Want, not What to Do

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If you want self-motivated and accountable people who work with passion, then “hire smart people and get out of their way”. That is a quote from Lee Iacocca.

 

Management consultant and professor Peter Drucker put it this way, “tell people what you want, not what to do”.

 

If you have hired the right person for the job, given them the right training and provide the right support then you don’t need to supervise them. Provide proper direction and have them propose their own goals to help you achieve your goals.

 

Turn these goals into a win-win agreement and follow-up regularly to see if you both are on track.

 

Download my free goal planning and win-win agreement forms.

 

 

hiring family members

Hiring Family Members. Things to Do and What To Avoid

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Hiring family members into your business can be fruitful but it can also spell disaster if you do not follow best practices for hiring.

 

Here are a few do’s and don’ts.

Don’ts

  1. Don’t hire a family member just to help them out.
  2. Don’t make promises to family members you can’t or don’t intend to keep. This will come across as manipulation.
  3. Don’t hire a family member and expect them to know what they need to do without providing the right training and coaching.
  4. Don’t bring business home to the dinner table with family members. Although it is tempting to discuss business problems outside of the day-to-day hustle and bustle, you can create stress and negatively impact family life.
  5. Don’t overpay or underpay the family member. Overpaying will show favoritism and help make the person feel entitled. Underpaying because a family member may affect their self-esteem.
  6. Don’t forget to give feedback to the family member about their performance. It’s easier to neglect family members when it comes to feedback. This will make them feel like you take them for granted.

Follow these best practices for hiring family members and everyone will win, you, the family member and the business.

 

Do’s

  1. Define what the need is in the business for the role that the family member can fill. Evaluate whether the person has the skills or can learn them within a reasonable time.
  2. Write a role description to clearly define what the job entails including the tasks, responsibilities and knowledge and skills. This will help with point one.
  3. Use a psychometric assessment to match the person to the job. You know the person well but might not see things objectively enough to assess how they fit the job.
  4. Define performance expectations for the first 30, 60 and 90 days. This will help determine what you need to provide as tools and support to the family member.
  5. Based on the job description and performance expectations, create a training and coaching plan to assure the family member can meet expectations.
  6. Make a rule to keep business discussions at work and not bring them home where it will impede on family life and create stressful situations.
  7. Make sure to pay the person according to market conditions. Do some research to work out a salary range that is competitive with the market for that position.
  8. Hold regular review coaching sessions with the family member to see how they’re doing and give them positive feedback, as well as suggestions for improvement.

Hiring a family member is like hiring any new employee except it’s not. We have a strong emotional connection with family members that we don’t have with strangers or people we may know through the business world. It’s tempting to forgo best practices when hiring family members and resort to making decisions based too heavily on emotion and then justifying it logically.

 

I grew up in a family business that my dad started when I was nine years old. I am familiar with all the don’ts that are listed above and the impact it had on me.

 

Follow these best practices for hiring family members and everyone will win, you, the family member and the business.

 

Strategies to Reduce Employee Turnover

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reduce employee turnoverTo implement strategies to reduce employee turnover, you first need to understand the causes of employee turnover. You can only act on things that you can control and so I’ll focus on those strategies and tactics.

I recently interviewed an applicant for a technical sales job I had posted for a client. The candidate was presently employed but was unhappy in his present job due to what he claimed was an incompetent manager.

Causes for Employee Turnover

  • bad hire
  • poor relationship with boss, colleague or team member
  • poor management, training and support

Bad Hire

Hiring the wrong person for the job is the major cause of employee turnover. Lack of competence due to inefficient skills and inability to perform the job as expected is the case. Good hiring is essential to reduce turnover, improve job performance and retain employees. Poor attitude and lack of work ethic is also a contributor to a bad hire.

Poor Relationship with Boss Colleague or Team Member

reduce employee turnoverPeople leave a bad relationship and not a job. This is often the case as in the real-life example I gave earlier. It’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure they get along with each other, but it’s the manager’s responsibility to ensure that everyone’s trying.

Poor Management, Training and Support

Most people want to know that their work contributes to the success of the department and company. They want clear expectations, good communication with their manager and feedback on the work they’re doing. They also want to use and develop their skills and knowledge to they continue to grow and evolve. People need to enjoy their work and feel valued. It’s the manager’s responsibility to fill the needs of the employees and keep them engaged with the job and the company.

Strategies to Reduce Employee Turnover: Solutions and Actions

  1. hire the right person for the job. Ensure they have the skills, behavioural traits and motivational interests to perform the job well.
  2. foster a climate of collaboration amongst team members. Be honest with each employee and treat them with respect. Encourage open and honest exchange.
  3. provide regular feedback on employee performance. Offer interesting work and help employees grow and develop. Seek employees input on decision-making and share your perspective and rationale.

Summary

Certain jobs and industries have greater employee turnover than others. You cannot control external forces but you can control who you hire and how you lead and coach for job success. Review the points listed above and choose one that you can turn into an improvement project or goal. Review my goal planning articles and videos to put your project into action.