One on One With Kurt Salmon Associate's Pam Beckerman

During the last downturn (2001 to 2004), Kurt Salmon Associates' executives sat down with every firm employee and discussed what a long-term career at the firm would look like. By letting consultants know what would be expected of them to be promoted, and what resources the firm would make available to help them throughout their career, consultants were less anxious to leave the firm when the economy improved in late 2004 and early 2005. After the program was implemented, voluntary attrition rates fell from the 16 percent to 18 percent range, down to about 12 percent. The lower-than-average rate of voluntary attrition gave the firm a competitive advantage over competitors who saw their attrition rates spike during that time. Consulting's One-on-One sat down with Pam Beckerman, KSA North America's HR Director, to discuss what lessons firms can learn from her experience.

Consulting: Please describe the career track conversations you had during the last downturn.

Beckerman: In 2004, we introduced a structured career path in which people had a clear understanding of what their career in the firm could be. We made it clear to them what competencies they'd need to develop and what results we'd expect. The specifics varied by staff level. For example, recent undergraduate hires were told what tools they'd need to become good team members. And we set expectations that if they delivered a certain level of results, they would get promoted and receive an increase in compensation.