Meet Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, authors of Love 'Em or Lose 'Em.

How to retain and engage talent to gain and maintain that  competitive advantage and maintain profits in the face of a struggling economy is the theme of the latest edition of the bestselling classic, LOVE ‘EM OR LOSE ‘EM: GETTING GOOD PEOPLE TO STAY (Berrett-Koehler, 2008) by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans.

 “This new edition highlights some of the issues inherent in a down market, but the truths about good management never change,” say the authors. ” In down times or boom times, the only way an organization can beat their competition is with an effective, productive, and engaged workforce.  Doing right by your people will always give you a great return on your investment.”

The new fourth edition is significantly revised and updated to reflect current market conditions, while expanding on the timeless mission to provide managers with low cost or no cost strategies for keeping their best people engaged and energized to move their business forward.  Besides changes throughout the book, the new edition also includes two new sections focusing on managers’ concerns and research findings.

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Dr. Beverly Kaye is founder and CEO of Career Systems International, Scranton, PA and one of the nation's leading authorities on career issues in the workplace.  She is a highly regarded writer and speaker on talent management issues and author of the classic Up is Not the Only Way (Davies Black).

Sharon Jordan-Evans is a pioneer in the field of employee retention and engagement. She serves as a prominent speaker for numerous conferences and works with Fortune 500 companies such as American Express, Boeing, Disney, Lockheed, Cheesecake Factory, Monster, MTV, PBS, Sony, and Universal Studios. Sharon has a Masters Degree in Organization Development and is a Professional Certified Coach, coaching the leaders companies can least afford to lose.

“Study after study shows that one of the top concerns of CEOs is retaining talent,” say the authors. “Because of demographic issues and more sophisticated skill needs, a critical shortage of qualified talent is looming for some organizations and professions and is already here for others.  Yet in the past, at the first sign of economic trouble, many companies tried to cut back on exactly the kinds of developmental programs and activities that are priorities for employee retention.  Without support from leadership during times of tighter budgets  and  anxiety and distrust in the workplace, even those who don’t leave physically can disengage … leading to low morale, absenteeism, and diminished customer service.   Fortunately more organizations than ever before are realizing how important engaging and retaining their people is to their competitiveness and success.”

 It is not surprising that developing an engaged workforce and retaining top people have a significant impact on the bottom line the authors say.

 “Happy employees make happy customers. The only way to keep good customers is to offer the best service. And you need to keep your best people happy to deliver that.”