The inability to attract, or better yet keep new staff is one of the top dilemmas facing employer families today. Many families know the value of hiring key employees and the importance of keeping these men and women on board. The loss of an integral staff member can shake a household's foundation and cause distress for the family as well as the staff members.

In recruiting and retaining domestic staff, families must take into account several critical factors including their recruiting strategy, compensation plans, short and long-term incentive plans, culture, and employee recognition. The time to address retention is now.

Why Domestic Workers Quit

Many employers believe that money is the top reason employees leave their jobs. This simply is not so. While compensation is important to everyone, when you look at the big picture it does not provide a complete answer to why domestic staff leave employers. Consider a recent survey developed by The International Guild of Professional Butlers, whereby domestic staff were asked which of the following is most likely to cause good employees to quit their jobs.

Their responses were as follows:

Given the importance of finding and keeping top staff, we would offer the following suggestions on how to address retention in your household:

Hire the right individual to begin with.

Without a doubt, the single biggest reason an employee does not work out is the lack of fit within a family culture. As a potential employer, you should develop a detailed job description, making certain the person you hire "fits" your culture and the competencies needed via a thorough recruiting and interviewing process. Engaging an outside search firm may be an excellent option as well. Lastly, take the time to integrate this new person into your household through orientation, training and providing resources to them in their move and transition.

Provide Growth Opportunities

Keep in mind, advancement does not always mean moving upwards in the organizational chart. Providing the opportunity to lead a team on a specific project for instance can provide challenge and growth. If you look for ways to keep staff challenged and learning, they will stay. When you stretch the perceived capabilities of a high-performing staff member, they may surprise you with what they can do, and the risk will pay dividends down the road with better retention and employee motivation.

Recognition

Everyone wants to be appreciated and recognized for the hard work they put in. Your goal in recognition should be to strengthen the bond and affiliation an employee feels with the household. Recognition should be sincere and public when appropriate. It's the day-to-day interactions household staff have with their employers that can often make the difference between motivating or losing a key staff member.

Culture

Every household has a culture associated with it. One way to find out what your culture is currently saying about you is through employee feedback. Provide channels through which employees can voice their opinions and speak out. Exit interviews can be especially important and should be analyzed. Losing staff will cost you the expenses of recruiting and training a replacement as well as lost productivity, reduced morale and lost intellectual capital. Often employers make the mistake of ignoring the causes of turnover in their household. Many employers also seem "not to care" as they will always blame the staff member who is leaving without questioning the high turnover.

A Word on Compensation

Compensation does play an important role in employee retention. Salary is a key component of most compensation plans but only one of many.

Be flexible. There are many moving parts to compensation plans and you should be prepared to adjust them when appropriate. Find out what is important to the candidate. For some the benefits package may far outweigh the gym membership or car you may be offering. For others, the loss of an annual bonus may necessitate a sign-on bonus. Make sure your recruiter details every aspect of a candidate's current compensation for you and works with you to structure a plan that makes sense.

Tie compensation to performance. This may include a bonus tied to performance. We know a number of clients who have gone to a quarterly bonus system, replacing the traditional year-end model. It also allows for a "quarterly review" which is a great opportunity to focus on the performance and satisfaction of the staff member.

Look into other creative ways to compensate your best staff including both long and short-term incentives. These may include an increased amount of vacation time and personal financial planning.

While compensation is by no means the only factor in retaining your best staff, we do encourage you to look at how you are currently compensating your domestic staff. Make sure the incentives you offer are tied to the results you want and that they encourage the behaviors you are seeking. When done properly, a good compensation plan will reinforce employee loyalty and ultimately cause a happy household.