How to Retain Employees with CSP

Profiles' clients hear this message repeatedly: Carefully consider how well an employee's core behaviours fit with the actual job he or she will be performing. As this case study illustrates, an organisation will enjoy the benefits of understanding its workers and replicating the skills of top performers.

Background
Leaders at a financial services organisation wanted to increase employee retention. Their solution was to conduct a two-year study with Profiles International to examine the relationship between employee turnover and how strongly candidates matched positions they sought. Customer Service Profile measured this relationship.

First Steps
The organisation first developed a Job Match Pattern using CSP. This pattern reflected the company's views on customer service. The Job Match Pattern, which used information gathered from the employer's top performers, reflected the qualities that the organisation valued in customer relations. Participants that responded in a similar manner to that pattern implicitly share the organisation's belief in customer service and thus are a stronger fit than those who lack the same congruence in responding.

Participants
Leaders at the organisation administered CSP to 1,287 candidates and evaluated their Job Match Percent. They described 80 percent or greater score as a strong fit to the job and 79 percent or less as a weak fit.

Next, the financial services organisation hired 226 of the 1,287 candidates participating, then monitored their employment status.

Performance Grouping
One hundred sixty-six of the 226 hired obtained an 80 percent or greater score on the Job Match question, and leaders saw them as a strong fit to the job and the organisation.

Sixty participants of the 226 obtained a 79 percent or less score on the Job Match question, and leaders saw them as a weak fit.

Next, analysts tracked the turnover figures for each group:

Strong fit employees registered a 36.7 percent turnover rate. (61 of 166 employees)
Weak fit employees demonstrated a 41.7 percent turnover rate. (25 or 60 employees)

Summary
By using the Customer Service Profile to benchmark, select and train employees, the organisation realised the ability to successfully predict employee turnover based on Job Match Percent. It reduced by 12 percent its financial burden of filling voided positions, resulting in substantial savings. By using the CSP to increase employee retention, this organisation will continue to hire candidates it is likely to retain.

Understanding its people helps an organisation:

• Identify those who excel in their role, and then use assessments to discover what makes them tick
• Create a model against which it can match potential employees

interested in the same job

• Gain insight as to where employees may be at risk

• Offer specific coaching tips and development suggestions

This pattern now serves as a benchmark for leaders to match to other job candidates and employees at the financial services organisation