Apr 20, 2013 4 min read

MENLO PARK, Calif. – As difficult as it has become to locate top performers, keeping them on board is proving to be an even greater worry for employers, a recent Robert SHalf survey shows. Nearly four in 10, or 38 percent of chief financial officers interviewed said retaining valuable employees is their biggest staffing concern for the next 12 months.

Twenty-seven percent of respondents said their top focus will be maintaining employee productivity.

The survey was developed by Robert Half, the world’s largest specialized staffing firm, and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on interviews with more than 2,100 CFOs from a stratified random sample of companies in more than 20 of the largest U.S. markets.

CFOs were asked, “Which one of the following is your greatest staffing concern in the next 12 months,” they responded as follows: 38 percent said retaining valuable staff members was their highest priority; 27 percent said maintaining staff productivity was most important; while 13 percent said they were focused on recruiting new top performers to their business. Another 13 percent setimproving staff morale and engagement as their top goal. Another 9 percent either didn’t know which priority they ranked as most important or didn’t provide an answer.

“Though general unemployment levels remain high, professionals with specialized skills have more opportunities available to them, which has led to talent shortages in some areas and made replacing valuable employees even more difficult,” said Paul McDonald, Robert Half senior executive director. “Employers will need to pull out all the stops to retain their best and brightest, including ensuring compensation is competitive and top performers know there’s a career path available to them with the company.”

Following are five tips for retaining key employees:

1. Maintain an open-door policy. Employees should feel comfortable voicing ideas and concerns. Unhappiness with their managers is one reason many people leave their jobs. Building strong working relationships with your team should be a priority.

2. Promote from within. Your staff will grow discouraged if they feel advancement opportunities aren’t available. Meet with employees to review their career paths and discuss how they can move up in the organization.

3. Provide competitive compensation. While money isn’t everything, it is important. Make sure employees’ salaries and benefits are at or slightly above the market rates.

4. Recognize outstanding work. Whether it’s a story in the company newsletter or a spot bonus, actions and achievements that warrant special acknowledgment should be rewarded promptly. The recognition doesn’t need to be expensive. Saying “thank you” and praising individuals in front of their peers are powerful motivators.

5. Offer professional development opportunities. Training programs help people expand their skills and boost productivity. You’ll also gain versatility in your team.

McDonald notes companies are often inclined to rely on counteroffers to avoid losing key players. He advises hiring managers to instead focus on improving aspects of the work environment contributing to turnover.

“Counteroffers rarely fix the underlying reasons a professional decides to leave the company, such as a lack of challenge or a desire for advancement,” McDonald said. “An employee’s resignation can be used by the organization as an opportunity to make improvements benefiting its remaining staff.”

The national study was developed by Robert Half. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on more than 2,100 telephone interviews with CFOs from a random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees in more than 20 of the largest U.S. markets. For the study to be statistically representative and ensure companies from all segments are included, the sample was stratified by number of employees. The results were then weighted to reflect the proper proportion of employees within each market.