The secret to success in business, whether you are an employer or an employee is to get the best possible match between what the organisation needs and what the employee can provide.

In a recent survey* it was revealed that there are six main reasons that people change jobs:

Too many businesses make managing people too complex. The process of so-called “HR” is full of jargon confusion, which often puts a barrier between people that work in the business and those responsible for managing them.

Even the name of the department HR – Human Resources – is wrong. Nobody ever refers to themselves as a human resource; they are people! It is well to keep this simple thought in mind when you are involved in the day to day management of a business.

An employer-employee relationship is both a financial and a social contract. All employers rely on the skills and endeavour of their employees, who are prepared to give up their time and energy in order that they can earn a living. Effective employer/employee relationships are those which are based upon both the spirit as well as the letter of the employment contract.

Successful businesses understand that being a good employer does not cost any money, which means that you can be a good employer during difficult economic times as well as in a boom. In fact, being a good employer saves money because it reduces ‘churn’ and avoids the need to replace people, which wastes time and money.