Can’t Find or Keep Good People? | KevBurns

You Can't Seem to Find or Hang On to Good People

They’re leaving the supervisor, not the company. We give your frontline supervisors the people-leading skills that good people stay for.

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People who show up and stay.

Employees who recommend their employer.

Safer work and fewer problems reaching you.

Always Hiring, Always Short-Handed

Turnover is up. People call in sick more than they should. New hires don’t show up, or they’re gone before they’re fully trained.

You’re always hiring and always short-handed. And with experienced people getting ready to retire, it’s about to get harder.

Why People Really Leave

It’s easy to blame pay or the job market. But pay everywhere is competitive, so employees choose where to work, and whether to stay, based on who they’ll be working for. They expect a boss who coaches them.

It used to be that only the employer could fire someone. Today’s employees fire their employer by not showing up.

Most supervisors got a Hope Promotion: they were the best at the work, so they were made a supervisor and it was 'hoped' they'd figure out the people-leading part on their own.

It used to work. Not anymore. People don’t quit companies. They quit supervisors who never learned how to make them feel valued.

It's Not Just an HR Problem

HR makes the company's promise to every new hire. But the supervisor is where that promise gets kept or broken. When it's broken, HR is back recruiting for the same job.

The supervisor your HR manager is counting on to keep good people is the same one your safety manager needs buy-in from, and the same one bringing problems to your operations manager.

Each department is working on its own piece. Nobody is looking at all of them together. They all come back to the supervisor.

 

 

Look at What It's Costing You

Recruiting for the same jobs again and again. Overtime to cover the people who didn’t show up. Raises and signing bonuses to keep the ones you have. Training new hires who leave before they’re up to speed. Each one lands in a different department’s budget, so nobody adds it up. But together it’s a big number, spent everywhere except where the problem actually starts.

The rest doesn’t show up on any report, and it can cost even more. The good people who stay end up carrying the load, and they wear out. Experience walks out the door with every person who leaves. Word gets around, and good people stop applying. And customers notice when there’s always someone new.

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What Changes When Supervisors Coach

1

People Feel Valued

Supervisors learn what motivates each person on their crew, and how to show them they matter.

2

People Stay

When people respect who they work for, they don't go looking for a reason to leave.

3

Good People Come Recommended

When people like who they work for, they tell their friends. Good people come recommended by people who already work for you.

How PeopleWork Supervisor Academy Works

Your supervisors already have the technical half of the job. We give them the people half, so they become the complete supervisors that good people will stay for.

For eight weeks, your supervisors watch a short video lesson each day, under ten minutes long. Once a week, they meet live for a one-hour coaching session with their fellow supervisors to talk about how to be better supervisors.

For the next 50 weeks, learning continues with short videos twice a week: Monday Mentor on Mondays and 52 Benefits of Safety on Fridays.

No classroom. No time off the job.

 See How the Academy Works 

 

What Employees Asked For After Five Years

New Braunfels Utilities has put nearly 200 of its people through the Academy since 2020. It’s now a requirement for anyone who seeks a people-leader role.

Five years in, NBU’s employee survey showed something most companies never see. Employees weren’t asking for less. They asked for more: more time with their supervisors, clearer expectations, and more chances to grow.

That’s what happens when people work for a boss they want to work for. NBU has committed to the program through 2028.

 

This program has set a precedent for me and my fellow managers and supervisors. It puts all of us on the same page and know we have the backing of each other. It has laid a strong foundation for us to follow. 

- Adam Fell

My perspective on mentorship has completely shifted. I now see the critical importance of nurturing both emerging talent and experienced team members. I've learned how to re-energize long-standing relationships and create a supportive pathway to retirement for senior employees.

- Karen Kellogg

Our company has worked this program for five years now. And we've committed to another three years. A testament to how much of a difference it's made.

- Billy Shearer

Ready to Keep Your Good People?

Every good person who leaves takes their experience with them, and you pay to replace them. The Hope Promotion Calculator adds up what that costs, along with incidents, rework, and your mid-managers’ time. See your own number.

Hope Promotion Calculator

Frequently Asked Questions

Isn't turnover an HR problem?
We already pay well. Why are people still leaving?
Will this help with new hires who don't stay?
What if our supervisors think this is too "touchy-feely"?

Let's Talk

Tell us what you're seeing. Talk with Kevin directly, and you'll come away with a clearer picture of what's behind it, and whether it makes sense to work together. If it isn't a good fit, we'll tell you.