With a talent shortage and economic downturn looming large, recruiting and retaining talent tops the agenda for human resources professionals these days. At two local employers – the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) and R.L. Polk & Co. – a few key strategies are making a difference.

Like many other health care facilities around the country, the DMC has begun to experience a shortage of nurses and other health care workers. Because a lot of employees are hard to replace, the DMC seeks to keep its top talent by creating more training opportunities for supervisors and other employees. They also use early intervention techniques to decrease turnover and work to hire the right kind of people in the first place.

“We know that we're not graduating enough students, and the pipeline isn't coming fast enough,” said Delores Hunt, corporate vice president of human resources at the DMC. In addition to having more openings than nurses, some of the hospital's older employees are nearing retirement, and “we don't have anybody to replace them with.”

At Southfield-based R.L. Polk, an automotive data research firm, there are some common denominators in retention strategies: hiring right; an increased focus on employer-employee communications; training and coaching; and cultivating the kind of culture that supports employee retention.

“The culture overall is geared toward teamwork,” said Deborah Young, vice president of corporate human resources at R.L. Polk, which earned a spot on Crain's “2007 Cool Places to Work” list.

For HR professionals who want to boost retention at their own companies, Young and Hunt offer the following tips:

• Make talent part of your mission: The focus on attracting, retaining, and developing top talent is written into R.L. Polk's HR mission statement and organizational goals. To meet this objective, the company looks for both traditional and non-traditional ways to retain employees. “It's more about engagement versus a one-time event,” Young said.
• Hire the right people: Bringing the right people on board in the first place is one of the most important keys to employee retention. R.L. Polk looks for candidates who are skilled at multitasking and working in a fast-paced environment. Equally important is finding employees who fit into the company culture. Behavioral interview questions help the DMC find the right employees.
• Circle back to new hires: After three to four months on the job, R.L. Polk brings new hires back together for a more in-depth overview of the company's history, values, mission, and vision. At that time, new employees also have the opportunity to meet company leaders. The company continues to circle back to new employees at 30-day intervals during the first year of employment, and then on a quarterly basis after the first year.
• Train supervisors: At the DMC, managers are considered “retention specialists,” Hunt said. The DMC trains managers in how to conduct behavioral interviews, manage diversity in the workplace and in other skills that make a difference when it comes to retaining employees. At R.L. Polk, each business unit has an HR representative assigned to it. This arrangement helps HR establish a daily, ongoing relationship with managers, and also provides the opportunity to encourage supervisors to adopt a coaching versus command style of leadership.
• Provide employee training, coaching: Both the DMC and R.L. Polk have mentoring programs, as well as other methods of providing employee training. In addition, the DMC also is looking to start quarterly training sessions that focus on basic skills, process changes, business literacy, team-building exercises, and roles and responsibilities of employees throughout the organization. At R.L. Polk, employees also can take advantage of technical and soft skills training via an online learning management system, Young said.
• Combat turnover with early intervention: As part of a new program, DMC has created a retention committee that works to reduce turnover by early intervention. When the committee hears that a nurse is considering leaving DMC, someone from the committee contacts the employee and asks to meet with them to discuss reasons and possible solutions.
• Provide rewards and recognition: At R.L. Polk, employees who hit the 25-year service mark are honored at the Quarter Century Club luncheon. The company also recognizes employees for exemplary work via various reward programs, including one called the Bonus Bucks Program, which allows managers to provide employees with on-the-spot recognition in $25 to $50 increments for jobs well done.
• Offer flexibility: Employees at R.L. Polk can take advantage of flexible work arrangements. And after instituting a “blue jean casual” dress code last summer, the company decided to implement the program for year-round attire. “That was a huge hit with our workforce,” Young said.
• Get employees involved: One way to boost employee retention is to get employees involved in retention efforts, Young said. At R.L. Polk, a group of employees called the FUNatics get together to plan monthly and quarterly events, as well as ongoing activities such as athletic leagues. Volunteerism and eco-friendly activities also are popular, she said.