Secret to hiring and retaining employees

Give your employees a HUGE amount of flexibility!  In the hours they work, in how they approach the job, in any area realistic (and even some that don't seem so at first blush). Studies show that there are really 3 reasons people chose a job, and keep a job:  Fit with their DESIRED lifestyle, relationship with their boss, and compensation (probably in that order).

1)  Flexibility matters more than any other factor to parents, and mothers in particular.  Who's taking those kids to the doctor, school, or dealing with parenting issues? You want committed employees?  Let them take care of their family without guilt, and they will reward you 10 fold. Most companies have pretty poor sick leave or flex time policies that are, frankly, discriminatory to women who perform the lion's share of child-rearing. Why do women earn less than 80 cents on the dollar for equal work?  Discrimination for taking care of family business.  It's the companies that really loose out though in the costs of employee turnover, endless recruiting and retraining, and so on.  Why is Europe trampling the US lately in competitiveness?  Family friendly policies, long term committed employees, fewer costs in the long run.

2) Relationship with your employees.  Trust me, if people don't like or respect the powers that be, they're not going to give their best. Managers that are empowering and POSITIVE to work for, are especially hard to resign from.  Have a lot of employee's resign under your tenure?  It's the way you treat them. Give them meaningful work, lots of respect, support, and flexibility, and spend your time improving your business, not continually recruiting new staff.

3) Money.  It matters a whole bunch in hiring, but not as much after that IF you're a good manager.  That's why we have millions in the US working for peanuts in teaching and a plethora of other careers.  They could certainly make more money, but intrinsic motivation and respect pays out more in the long run.

Find yourself wondering why this matters in Saving the World?  It's all about parenting to me. Most parents have to work to put food on the table.  In the hierarchy of needs, if you can enable them to be happier while doing it, they can focus on raising their kids, give a little free time to important causes, and not waste time in the endless pursuit of more money and things.