Latino Talent: Effective Strategies to Recruit, Retain and Develop Hispanic Professionals

CHAPTER 5

RETAINING LATINO EMPLOYEES

It is not uncommon for organizations to spend a great deal of time, money, and resources on recruiting Latino professionals only to lose these talented individuals because of poor retention strategies. Without a deliberate strategy in place to focus on the retention elements needed for Latino employees, employers run a high risk of losing talented individuals to the competition. While this can be said all of employees, there are some unique cultural elements related to Latinos that warrant special attention.

Latino employees are probably working with a predominantly Anglo workforce. Due to cultural differences, the work styles and preferences of Latino employees may contrast significantly from those of their coworkers. Actions and behaviors that may come naturally to Anglo employees may seem foreign or unnatural to Latino employees. Latinos may find themselves having to make more adjustments to their workplace behavior than their Anglo counterparts in order to perform effectively. The perceived necessity to modify their actions and behaviors causes some Latinos tension and undue stress, negatively affecting their performance. Those who feel significant pressure to change how they normally act in the workplace may ultimately choose to leave the organization.

The issue of Latino retention is ultimately contingent on how much organizations require Latino employees to assimilate into the workplace culture. Those organizations that require Latino ...