By the time they are 38, the average Generation Xer will have had 10 jobs. As a manager at any level or as a business owner, this means change. It means change in the expectations that employees have of their employers. It means change to the way employers will relate to their employees. And for savvy decision-makers it means change to the expectations that managers have of their staff. We’ve all heard about the trend toward multiple careers and many of us have already had several careers. But what does it really mean to your organization?  For one, organizations will see increasing costs as they will need to spend more on replacing those employees. It’s clear that there is a cost to finding new employees and this should come as no surprise. However the impact of employee turnover can be greater than just increased recruiting costs. You’ve likely heard how much easier it is to service an existing customer than it is to find a new one. Organizations understand this and customer [tag-tec]loyalty programs[/tag-tec] are extremely popular. The travel industry leads the way in this regard and it seems that these days almost every business has some kind of loyalty program. (If I receive another loyalty card, I’ll need a new wallet!  And a wagon to carry it!)  But while most organizations understand customer loyalty, they have a long way to go in developing and maintaining [tag-ice]employee loyalty[/tag-ice]. It’s like a revolving door. They hire staff and within three to five years, many of them are gone. Building employee loyalty is paramount because it will contribute greatly to the satisfaction of customers and to the success of the organization. Recent studies have made clear links between employee turnover and customer satisfaction. And also between customer satisfaction and the incremental revenue provided by satisfied customers. It follows logically that retaining employees will have an impact on the revenue of your organization. For a specific example we can look to a 2006 study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers which showed that 60% of 3000 customers interviewed were dissatisfied with their experience, citing turnover as a crucial factor. Another study showed that customers with a satisfaction score of 8 out of 10 spent more than the average customer whereas customers with a score of 7 or less spend less than average. What does this all mean?  It means that the better you are at keeping your employees, the more revenue you’ll earn and the less you’ll spend on recruiting. Employee retention is clearly a key success factor for organizations in the years to come. So how then to retain employees?  Over the next few years, the workforce will evolve. Over the next 10 years baby boomers will be replaced by Generation Xers. And their expectations differ significantly. Generation Xers want different things from their careers than the boomers want. The top three things Xers want in a job are •Positive relationships with their colleagues; •Interesting work; and, •Continuous opportunities for learning. The bottom three? •Salary; •Recognition; and, •Power and Prestige. And Generation Y has similar expectations. I recently met the owner of an architecture firm. He says that potential recruits are now interviewing him and wanting to know what his firm offers them. They want to know what learning and development experiences his firm will offer them. They want to know what transferable skills they will gain. Because although these are students still attending classes, they are not thinking about their first career - they are already thinking about their second! So providing an environment that will be desirable for the next generation of workers means: •Helping employees build relationships with colleagues through team building experiences and informal get-to-know events. •Ensuring that employees are in the right position for their personalities. For if they don’t love their work, they’ll leave sooner or later. •Involve employees in the decision-making process. Ask their opinions and listen. •Opportunities to learn and develop their skills, even if those skills are transferable. When employees stop learning, they’ll start leaving. •Communicating to employees clearly and frequently. Employees want to know what is going on with the company, including the big picture. •Acknowledgement. Employees wont necessarily need to be formally recognized for their work, but they will be happy if you thank them for it.  The next step…Be strategic about employee retention by helping your employees build positive relationships with their colleagues. Here is how we can help. The team building programs that we offer have been built solely for use with corporate teams and specifically designed to enhance interpersonal relationships through positive shared experiences. Some of our most popular programs include: •Scavenger Hunts •Director’s Cut - own make-your-own-movie program •FOREward Thinking - indoor minigolf Here is where you can learn more about our programs:  http://www.criticalpathfinders.com