Not so long ago, most people would spend their whole lives working for the same company. Nowadays, that sort of loyalty is rare. How can companies retain their employees in such a cutthroat environment?

It can do several things. To begin with, employers should treat their employees in the same way they would like to be treated themselves. It?s also important to have a good package. Of course, money is an important part of that package, but so is the way people are treated, the culture of the organisation, working for a top team, being communicated to and having a decent reward package for a decent job. It?s all about being reasonable with people. A lot of the time, it?s not just about paying people more.

● You mentioned the importance of rewarding people for a job well done. Over and above the obvious monetary reward, what are the other ways in which a company can show its appreciation?

You can, in fact, reward people in different monetary ways. One way obviously is direct salary, which depends a lot on market movement. Another way to do this is to link performance management to targets and goals in order to reward people through achievement. That reward can take the shape of a bonus or, for the larger companies, stock options.

The human resources (HR) and finance departments don?t always see eye-to-eye on issues such as remuneration. How does the human resource department make sure that its voice is heard?

«(...) if a company doesn?t treat its employees in a considered way, doesn?t remunerate them in a considered way and doesn?t look after them in a reasonable way, they?ll leave.»

I think that must come from the top. A good Chief executive officer (CEO) always needs two lieutenants. One should be the finance director and one should be HR director. The finance and HR directors should be good friends and try to work in synergy together. They both need people. They both need money and resources. Whilst people are often seen as a cost, the most expensive cost is often not using resources properly. Good finance and HR managers should work together to make sure that the company?s money is well spent.

At the end of the day, if a company doesn?t treat its employees in a considered way, doesn?t remunerate them in a considered way and doesn?t look after them in a reasonable way, they?ll leave. And then you?ll have the expense of replacing them. If you spend more time retaining your staff and, more importantly, developing them and allowing them to grow, you won?t have that sort of trouble. Nobody deliberately employs bad people. People just get switched off. The trick is learning how to motivate them, especially since sources of motivation change as people get older.

● Are their any noticeable new trends in HR management?

It?s a slow process. Twenty years ago we called it personnel. We then copied the Americans and called it human resources. We?ve reached a point where we?re a bit over-creative at times and miss the basic point, which is that we recruit and retain people. In between, we do lots of other things as well. We develop people. Sometimes we worry about new fads and that is not always a good thing. However, we should adapt to changing circumstances. An example of that is how we recruit. The traditional way to recruit is to put an ad in a newspaper. But a company can also recruit on its website. More and more people nowadays use MySpace. A company can use these to get across to a wider audience, to broaden its appeal.

● How does a company know that it?s succeeded in its HR management?

By the financial success of the company. Although some of it is market-led, the quality of the staff can be measured in this way, especially in when it comes to services. A good HR manager obviously needs to be a good communicator. He or she also needs to be a good diplomat in order to deal with CEOs, senior managers, line managers and staff. A good manager needs to be knowledgeable in what he or she is in involved in and to be able to adapt to change. The decisions the HR manager makes today are going to be with the company for a long time.

● Mauritius is suffering from a bit of a brain drain. A lot of young people go abroad to study but many choose not to return here to work. How can we make Mauritius more attractive to young talent?

The first thing to remember is that if someone wants to leave, he?ll leave. Trying to persuade someone to stay is a waste of time. It?s all about wanting to work for somebody and wanting to live somewhere. That?s about ideals, environment and culture. People have huge choices nowadays. They can decide where they want to work, where they want to live and what they want to do. That makes it more difficult for the employers to hold onto people. Employers should create a culture that people can relate to and want to be part of. Mauritius will have to capitalize on its strengths.