Holding On To Your Best People III
Strategies To Consider

1. Be excellent at the hiring process. Retention is very much a function of successful hiring, effectively bringing people into the organisation who have the greatest chance of success. Here are some hiring process considerations that we feel are critical at McCormick Research & Development:

* When talking to candidates, be clear about job requirements-the skills, knowledge and experiences needed.

* Make clear to the candidate the nature of the job, the organisation and career prospects-don't over- or under-- sell.

* Be excellent at recruiting fundamentals-sourcing, interviewing, background checks, reference checks.

* Keep the talent pipeline full (interns, trainees, recruiting fairs, college recruiting, promotable internal candidates).

* Remember the entire family; the more you do to assist a trailing spouse and children, the more appreciative the recruit, the more quickly engaged in the new job assignment, and the stronger the bond that will develop.

* Have a top-notch orientation program in place and pay attention to how it progresses! The first three to six months are critical for the recruit, during which time he or she must learn the job and the organisation, and establish credibility.

2. Pay attention to what motivates people. Over the past three years, we have identified central questions and concerns that continually emerge from conversations with McCormick R&D employees and with job candidates, and which seem to go right to the heart of the retention question: "why do individuals choose to stay or leave?" Following are some of our responses to those questions.

"Who will I work with and learn from? "-We have spotlighted our best scientists and product developers, and we have been more alert when considering a change in reporting relationships.

"Will I work with state-of-the-art equipment and technology? How up-to-date are your R&D facilities? Do your scientists and developers know that funds are willingly set aside to invest in tomorrow? When you trim budgets, what's the first to go-travel, training & development, capital investment? What messages are you sending? "-We continue to make significant investments in technology and facilities, and we have been sure to get the word out. A Culinary Center renovation is currently underway, to be followed closely by enhancements to our Sensory Analysis Lab-both visible signs of McCormick's commitment to R&D.

* "The shelf life of a college education today is short. Will I continue to develop professionally? What percentage of your budget is dedicated to in-house seminars, tuition assistance, trade seminars? "-We provide tuition assistance, support attendance at external seminars, utilise our Corporate Learning & Development Center, and are in the process of developing an R&D training curriculum ("R&D Academy"), which will deliver R&D-specific course content. In the Fall, we installed teleconference capability to reach our 120 non U.S.-based product developers and scientists. When it comes to budget tightening, we are much more sensitive about protecting funds to support these efforts. Our 360-- degree feedback process has been very successful, illuminating individual strengths and development opportunities. McCormick's "Multiple Management Board System" provides an opportunity to participate on inter-departmental teams to solve business problems. This affords several opportunities: (1) to work with peers from different functional areas; (2) to work on business problems out of an individual's line function; (3) to develop research, problem-solving and formal presentation skills; and perhaps most importantly, (4) to build relationships with others in the organization.

* "Will I be able to stay in touch with professional colleagues outside the company? "-We emphasise the importance and value of this. Several scientists and developers are officers in their related professional societies, and many deliver speeches and technical papers at societies and conferences throughout the year. Travel expenses are typically covered by McCormick.

* "Will I be working with good people? Will I enjoy my workplace? "-Our Employee Activity Team plans holiday events, employee celebrations and educational seminars. Our Improvement Council invites ideas and looks for ways to improve day-to-day operations.

* "Will my good work and contributions be recognised? "-The C.P. McCormick Award is a particularly prized award dating back to the 1930s, and is awarded throughout the year for outstanding individual achievement. Our StarThrower Award also recognizes individuals for going above and beyond the call of duty. And finally, we celebrate Patent Awards and hold Monthly Recognition Events to honor new employees, academic achievement, birthdays and retirements.

* "Will I advance in my career? "-Our Technical Ladder allows technical contributors to ascend to a professional level comparable to our highest ranking department director. The message is simple: at McCormick R&D, we exist to make contributions in product and process development and technical science, not necessarily in management and leadership science. We are in the process of adapting our Ladder to non-U. S. locations, and acknowledging that technical ladders must reflect the particular character of each location (e.g., what are the specific job and organisation requirements, what constitutes "contribution to the industry," what drives turnover, etc?).

* "Will I be paid a fair wage? "-National compensation survey norms confirm that 49-50 percent of employees in all organisations feel underpaid (as compared to incumbents in similar jobs, inside and outside their respective organisations). In many cases, this is a matter of perception. The challenge, then, is one of communication. At McCormick R&D, we have conducted information sessions addressing compensation basics (pay structure development, wage and salary surveys and job grades), and we have coached supervisors to counsel on an individual basis. Still, there is room to improve, and communication must be an ongoing process.

* "Will I be working with a reputable firm? "-We emphasise our reputation as one of the highest-quality and most reliable suppliers to the industrial and consumer food industries, and we are known to treat people fairly.

* Country-to-Country Differences-McCormick R&D has locations in 12 countries. In 1999, a survey of each location established that workplace priorities were common from lab to lab (recognition, advancement, pay, communication, up-to-date labs, and fairness), but the order of importance did vary. In China, for example, competitive pay ranks higher than in other geographic areas. So we now pay closer attention to that job component.

"To Thine Own Self Be True." Clearly, there is much to consider when it comes to retention. The answers will vary. What I believe is that it all starts in a simple way: know yourself well-- your organisation and the individuals who comprise it, your unique character. How effective are your first-line managers? What messages are you sending when you make budget decisions to eliminate travel, attendance at trade shows, training and development? Are you doing a superior job at performance management? Are you excellent at hiring? How effectively are you communicating competitiveness of your pay programs? Are you aware of your country-to-country differences? Are your facilities and technological capabilities up to date? Are you suffering from poor "life interest-job content" matches? Are you paying attention to the people who make up your organisation, and are you really listening to what's being said? We find that paying attention to questions helps hold on to your best people.