Employee retention system and associated methods

• US 7,367,808 B1
• Filed: 04/16/2003
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TalentKeepers, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TalentKeepers, Inc.
• Inventors: Frank, Fredric D., Finnegan, Richard P., Mulligan, Christopher P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Xuan M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMASSON, MEAGAN J
• Application Number:
  US10/414,592
• Time in Patent Office: 1,847 Days
• Field of Search: 434/219, 434/323, 705/11, 705/1, 705/7
• US Class Current: 434/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

A modularized system and method for interactively diagnosing and addressing workplace issues that can lead to employee turnover includes computer-delivered assessment and training modules, each directed to a particular aspect of improving employee retention by focusing on retention competencies. Some modules are intended for employee use; others, for supervisors. The employee sector modules are primarily administered for the purpose of data collection, the resulting data utilized to prescribe assessment and training modules to the supervisor. The supervisor sector modules include an assessment adapted to create an individualized learning plan, wherein questions assess understanding of the topic, and then a job simulation is presented, guiding the user through a simulation applying the concepts from the lesson, followed by a mastery assessment. After passing the mastery assessment, the user can view and print learning activities and key learning points for each program.

Claims

1. A method of reducing employee turnover comprising the steps of:

accumulating data from an employee on a plurality of aspects of supervisor performance by delivering a data collection module to the employee on a computer, wherein the data collection module comprises an employee retention module comprising means for training the employee in assisting in employee turnover reduction among co-workers;

processing the accumulated data to rank the plurality of aspects of supervisor performance;

determining an appropriate training module for improving a lowest-ranked aspect;

delivering the training module to the supervisor;

after the supervisor has completed the training module, assessing the supervisor in the lowest-ranked aspect;

if the assessing step determines that the supervisor is still deficient in the lowest-ranked aspect, redelivering the training module to the supervisor; and

if the assessing step determines that the supervisor is no longer deficient in the lowest-ranked aspect, recommending at least one exercise to the supervisor to be performed with an employee for enhancing trust therebetween.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

administering a new employee assessment module to a new employee, the new employee assessment module comprising means for assessing an importance of a plurality of aspects of supervisor performance;

receiving and analyzing answers from the assessing means from the new employee; and

providing a report to the supervisor regarding the importance of the supervisor performance aspects for improving a likelihood of retaining the new employee.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the performance aspects comprise a set of leadership retention competencies, the analyzing step comprises ranking the set of leadership retention competencies by importance to the new employee, and the report includes the leadership retention competencies ranked to be most important.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the data collection module is delivered over a network from a central site.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the data collection module delivering step comprises the step of administering an employee survey module comprising means for assessing a plurality of employee retention factors.

6. The method recited in claim 5, wherein the employee survey module administering step is repeated at a predetermined interval for measuring changes in the employee retention factors.

7. The method recited in claim 5, wherein the assessing means comprises means for providing a measure of risk of employee turnover to the supervisor.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the data collection module delivering step comprises the step of administering an employee exit survey module to a departing employee comprising means for assessing a reason for the employee resignation.

9. The method recited in claim 8, further comprising the step of administering the employee exit survey module a second time to the employee to whom the employee exit survey module had previously been administered.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the training module delivering step comprises presenting a plurality of lessons, each lesson comprising a plurality of learning topics and a plurality of questions for delivery to the supervisor, the questions spaced throughout the lesson for assessing topic understanding, and receiving answers to the questions from the supervisor.

11. The method recited in claim 10, wherein the each lesson comprises computer-delivered instruction having text, audio, and graphic components.

12. The method recited in claim 10, further comprising the steps, following the answers receiving step, of:

comparing each answer with a correct response;

providing feedback to the supervisor on the response prior to continuing with the lesson presenting step, the feedback comprising a rationale for the correctness or incorrectness of the answer; and

if an answer is incorrect, providing a prompt to the supervisor to review associated instructional content.

13. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the training module delivering step comprises the steps of presenting a summary of a learning topic related to the lowest-ranked aspect of performance and a plurality of questions on the learning topic, and receiving answers to the questions from the supervisor.

14. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the training module delivering step comprises the steps of presenting a plurality of questions on a learning topic related to the lowest-ranked aspect of performance, and receiving answers to the questions from the supervisor.

15. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

delivering a retention scenario module to the supervisor, the retention scenario module comprising a plurality of scenarios, each scenario followed by a plurality of choices comprising behavioral methods of reacting to the scenario, and means for receiving a selection from among the choices from the supervisor;

scoring the supervisor selections;

reporting results of the scoring step to the supervisor; and

providing a recommendation for a training module to be taken by the supervisor.

16. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the recommendation providing step further comprises a recommendation of a mode for taking the recommended training module, the mode selected from an instructional mode, a summary mode, and a progress checking mode.

17. The method recited in claim 15, wherein:

each scenario and associated choices are adapted to assess supervisor competency in one of a set of leadership retention competencies;

the scoring step comprises ranking the supervisor competency in each of the leadership retention competencies; and

the recommendation providing step comprises recommending a plurality of training modules associated with the leadership retention competencies in which the supervisor ranked lowest.

18. The method recited in claim 17, further comprising the step, following the training module recommending step, of recommending that the supervisor repeat the retention scenario module at a predetermined interval.

19. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

collecting data from a second supervisor on a plurality of aspects of the supervisor performance;

collecting data from a manager above the supervisor on the plurality of aspects of the supervisor performance;

collecting data from the supervisor on the plurality of aspects of the supervisor performance;

collecting data from an employee on the plurality of aspects of the supervisor performance; and

presenting the collected data from the second supervisor, the manager, the employee, and the supervisor to the supervisor for permitting a comparison of self-analysis with analyses by the second supervisor, the manager, and the employee.

20. The method recited in claim 19, further comprising the step of determining and recommending an appropriate training module to the supervisor based upon the presented collected data.

21. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step, between the training module delivery step and the assessing step, of presenting a job simulation to the supervisor, the job simulation including a situation related to the lowest-ranked aspect of performance.

22. The method recited in claim 21, wherein the job simulation presenting step comprises presenting a plurality of questions to the supervisor relating to the simulation and receiving answers to the questions from the supervisor.

23. The method recited in claim 22, further comprising the steps of scoring the received answers and, if a predetermined score is not achieved, recommending that the job simulation be taken again.

24. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step, following the review module delivering step, of offering an additional learning activity to the supervisor related to the lowest-ranked aspect.

25. The method recited in claim 24, wherein the learning activity offering step comprises the step of providing continuing support and information from a best practices database accessible over a network.

26. The method recited in claim 25, further comprising the step of permitting the supervisor to enter information for inclusion in the best practices database.

27. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

calculating a score based upon the assessing step; and

issuing a report including the score to the supervisor and to a predetermined retention competency leader.

28. The method recited in claim 27, wherein the supervisor comprises a plurality of supervisors, and wherein the issued report further includes a rank of the supervisors based upon the scores.

29. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of aspects of supervisor performance are selected from among a set of leadership retention competencies targeted for reducing employee turnover.

30. The method recited in claim 29, wherein the leadership retention competency set comprises finding talent, building trust, communicating, developing and coaching talent, building esteem, building a desired work climate, having flexibility, building performance, monitoring retention, and initiating retention-focused behavior.

31. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer software installable on a processor for interacting with an employee and a supervisor for reducing employee turnover, the computer software comprising:

a module for accumulating data from an employee on a plurality of aspects of supervisor performance;

a module for processing the accumulated data to rank the plurality of aspects of supervisor performance;

a module for determining an appropriate training module for improving a lowest-ranked aspect;

a module for retrieving the training module from a database and for delivering the training module to the supervisor;

a module for, after the supervisor has completed the training module, assessing the supervisor in the lowest-ranked aspect;

a module for, if the assessing step determines that the supervisor is still deficient in the lowest-ranked aspect, retrieving the training module from the database and redelivering the training module to the supervisor; and

a module for, if the assessing step determines that the supervisor is no longer deficient in the lowest-ranked aspect, recommending at least one exercise to the supervisor to be performed with an employee with an intention to enhance trust therebetween.

32. A system for interacting with an employee and a supervisor for reducing employee turnover comprising:

an employee computer comprising a processor, a display device, and an input device;

a supervisor computer comprising a processor, a display device, and an input device;

a server in signal communication with the employee computer and the supervisor computer;

a software module accessible by the employee computer for accumulating data from an employee via the input device on a plurality of aspects of supervisor performance by delivering a data collection module to the employee computer, the data collection module comprising an employee retention module comprising means for training the employee in assisting in employee turnover reduction among co-workers;

a software module installable on the server for receiving the accumulated data from the employee computer and for processing the accumulated data to rank the aspects of supervisor performance;

a software module installable on the server for determining an appropriate training module for improving a lowest-ranked aspect;

a software module installable on the server for retrieving the training module from a database and for delivering the training module to the supervisor computer for interaction with the supervisor;

a software module accessible by the supervisor computer for, after the supervisor has completed the training module, delivering an assessment to the supervisor in the lowest-ranked aspect;

a software module installable on the server for receiving and processing assessment results from the supervisor computer;

a software module for, if the processing of the results indicates that the supervisor is still deficient in the lowest-ranked aspect, retrieving the training module from the database and redelivering the training module to the supervisor computer for interaction with the supervisor; and

a software module for, if the processing of the results indicates that the supervisor is no longer deficient in the lowest-ranked aspect, recommending at least one exercise to the supervisor to be performed with an employee for enhancing trust therebetween.

33. The system recited in claim 32, wherein the server is located at a supervisor and employee site.

34. The system recited in claim 32, wherein the supervisor computer and the employee computer are located at a supervisor and employee site and the server is located at a remote site accessible via a network.