Employee Evaluation and HR Talent Selection. A magnifying glass focuses on a smiling wooden figure with a five-star rating, symbolizing leadership, excellence, recruitment, and customer satisfaction


Recruiting and retaining frontline workers in the cleaning industry has been an age-old challenge, but the reality is, people leave. According to reports, younger people will change jobs roughly every four years, in search of greener pastures. 

Offering higher compensation and improved benefits might keep people longer, but neither is sustainable. Instead, experts recommend improved engagement. 

MSN reporting recommended asking four specific questions:

1. When was the last time you almost quit? 
Asking this is less about identifying a specific incident, but to get people to think concretely about the underlying forces that may be pushing them toward the door. 

2. When was the last time work didn't feel like work?
Managers who know this will help them identify opportunities that will keep staff engaged and happy in their job. 

3. What trade-offs are you making to stay in this role?
According to the article, identifying these trade-offs helps clarify a person's priorities and predict future moves. For example, a worker who is taking care of aging parents might be willing to pause career advancement in exchange for workplace flexibility; later on, the balance might tip in the other direction.

4. If this job disappeared tomorrow, what would you choose to do next?
Asking this allows managers to identify an employee's aspirations, which can help when opportunities present themselves internally.

Too often, managers discover too late why staff leaves. Asking questions like this to current staff, then following through, gives managers more insight and time to react. It also shows compassion for the employee's development and satisfaction, and also builds loyalty and trust.

To read details on each of these recommendations, click here for the full article.