Losing just one employee can have a negative impact on an organization. When companies lose an employee, they lose experience that is difficult to replace as well as the time they invested in recruiting, onboarding, and training. Productivity declines and engagement and morale take a hit across the wider workforce when companies are left understaffed. The devastating effects of high employee turnover impact everything from service quality to leadership and, of course, the bottom line.
So, what can employers do to improve employee retention? It starts with making data-driven employment decisions. Personality tests for employment combined with cognitive ability and skills tests can help companies reduce turnover and increase productivity.
Better Align People with Positions
Using personality tests for employment eliminates the disconnect by enabling companies to play to individuals’ strengths and place them in positions where they are best suited. For example, suppose that a job involves networking with large crowds of people, placing candidates who are extroverted in the role practically ensures success. If an introvert were placed in the role, the employee might be overwhelmed with anxiety and be unable to reach maximum productivity. If an employee feels uncomfortable about their performance, they are more likely to begin searching for other career opportunities. Employees whose day-to-day tasks align with their personality traits and skill sets have far lower stress levels, leading to a higher rate of long-term retention.
Prognosticate Future Performance
Employment assessment tests are not only beneficial for determining the best role for an individual, but they can also be used to gauge a candidate’s future performance. eSkill carefully develops validated and well-constructed assessments. Personality tests for employment have been created by mapping competencies from a position’s requirements to scientific models backed by synthetic and content validity evidence to align personality dimensions with each competency. This enables eSkill to determine which personality dimensions drive performance for each competency. eSkill then uses this information to create job-specific assessments that measure personality, cognitive ability, and relevant skills.
Meta-analyses of research on the validity of personality and cognitive ability measures as predictors of effective performance in the workplace found that both personality and intelligence consistently predict job performance. When companies use eSkill’s job-specific assessments, they can align the right people with a position, predict future job performance and success and ensure individuals have the required technical skills. This results in increased employee engagement, productivity, and ultimately a reduction in costly turnover.
Personalize Management Styles
As the saying goes, people don’t quit a job, they quit their bosses. A study conducted by the National Board of Economic Research of nearly 24,000 workers and 2,000 managers over five years found that “great managers” boost employee productivity by an average of 11 percent and teams with lower turnover rates than all other managers. If managers can leverage results from personality and behavioral assessments in a way that makes employees feel supported and understood, their team will perform better and employees will stay with the company longer.
Of course, a manager’s ability to connect with and motivate employees depends on how well the manager’s style is in sync with the employees’ operating values and personalities. Getting in sync starts with truly understanding someone’s personality. Administering eSkill’s personality tests for employment gives managers the information they need to know about how employees prefer to work. For example, do they prefer trust, freedom, “just the facts,” clear processes, praise, or competition, etc? Managers can then give employees the type of support they need when they need it, which leads to better outcomes, happier employees, higher retention and happier managers.
Implement Tailored Incentives
Jumping ship is tantalizing to employees who are motivated by money. And in today’s tight labor market, employees are often able to raise their salary by 10 to 20 percent simply by moving to a new company. But a larger paycheck is not the key motivator for everyone.
Employment assessment tests give employers a framework for looking beyond money and creating the right type of rewards programs based on employees’ individual motivators. Development opportunities, flexible working conditions, management responsibilities, greater autonomy, a better job title, or even the chance to do good in the world, can be compelling perks based on individual preferences. Using the results of personality assessments to make informed decisions around appropriate incentives improves morale and engagement, saves companies money spent on costly raises, and improves the retention rate.
Using eSkill’s assessments enables companies to understand candidates’ personalities, which makes it more likely that employees will be well suited for a position based on behavioral requirements rather than relying on technical skills alone. It also helps organizations predict future performance, identify a management style that is a good fit, and tailor an incentive program that will lead to a lower turnover rate. eSkill has a nearly 20-year record of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission compliance, the best record in the employment assessment industry. So, you can be sure you are assessing candidates and employees with a valid and reliable assessment tool.
Learn more about the benefits of using eSkill’s employment assessment tests to find qualified candidates quickly.
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