It seems as if my diversity entry last week hit a nerve with many of my readers, especially those of you who are job hunting.  Many of you agree that companies and clients could benefit from employees who have the transferrable skills, but experience outside that firm's specific industry.  I'd like to take this diversity topic further, because great service is about developing relationships with the client, making the client feel valued, and exceeding client expectations.  This would imply and often is based upon the benefits of a stable workforce. 

There are times, however, when long employee tenure could in fact hurt the clients' experience:  

• When employees' world-view is only dependent upon that company, the employee stops questioning the absurd.  To exemplify, when I bought my first home, it had cabinets that were painted bright green with farm animals on them.  I was shocked!  After a while, however, I wasn't shocked any more.  In fact, I didn't even see those cabinets (I did eventually change them - but other projects were completed first).  In a similar manner, new employees look at what has become commonplace within the organization with a fresh perspective, one that often mirrors the perspective of your clients. 
• According to the American Society of Quality, 68% of clients leave because of an attitude of indifference from a company employee.  But who is likely to be indifferent?  Not new employees.  New employees usually want to prove themselves.  New employees often want to exceed expectations.  It could be employees who have been around for a while who may become complacent. 

Having a diverse, stable workforce absolutely benefits your clients.  Don't look at all turnover as bad, however, because your clients may actually benefit from the fresh viewpoint of new energetic employees.  A diverse workforce benefits your clients:  different race, culture, gender, age, industry and yes, even tenure.  

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