First celebrated in 1882, Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor said of Labor Day,  “All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man’s prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day…is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation.”

There must be little regard to what was first created by the Central Labor Union in New York City 125 years ago tomorrow, September 5 as a dedication to the economic and social achievements of American workers.  Otherwise there would be far fewer employees ready, willing, and able to leave their job at 10 a.m. and find another by 2 that afternoon.  Study after study have shown that today’s employees are ready to leave on a moment’s notice. 

Employers are looking for retail and restaurant workers, banking professionals, mechanics, pharmacists, long haul truckers, engineers, loan officers, elementary and secondary teachers, geophysicists, nurses, etc.  Pick a profession.  More jobs than workers.  Every region of the country, soon to be every country in the world. 

For too long, too many employers have looked at employees as a cost, a necessary evil.  Something to “get rid of” during a Merger & Acquisition.  For too long, too few employers have been recognized and rewarded for seeing employees as an investment, a differentiator in their business.  Something to train and develop.  Something that guarantees the after sales care and support required by today’s customers.

Sigh.  I know, preaching to the choir.  So, I’m going to try to do something a little different through the end of the year.  I will make a concerted effort over the next four months to QUANTIFY the value of doing the right thing for employees.  Not in warm and fuzzies, touchy feelies, or any of those “soft measures” like morale, loyalty and engagement.  Sure I’ll use those words, they provide us a common reference point to start with. 

I gave the opening speech at the Indiana State SHRM Conference last week with the co-author of my current and upcoming books, Stephen Hundley.  Near the end of the presentation, I asked the 300-400 attendees to raise their hands if they knew what their employee turnover was, and about one in three folks raised their hands.  I then asked that smaller group of hr professionals how many of them knew the average cost of turnover.  One in three of them kept their hands up.

Pitiful.  What’s worse?  I’ve been asking that same question to h.r. for as long as I’ve been speaking on this topic.  10 years.  And that number never changes. 

The cost of turnover is a company’s Silent Profit Killer It’s the holy grail.  It’s our money tree. 

Silent no more.