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The Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training.

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Sue Shellenbarger's Work and Family column in Thursday's Wall Street Journal was titled "What Makes a Company A Great Place to Work Today." She got it half right. Here's the lead.

"Tis the season for workplace rankings, with 'best-workplace' lists sprouting everywhere this fall. From Working Mother magazine's "100 Best Companies" to Business Week's "Best Places to Launch a Career," judges are sizing up employers' flexible scheduling and other perks as criteria for coveted top-employer rankings. And family-friendly companies are looking very different today than they did a few years ago. The waning of boomers with their uptight ways, and the rise of the we-want-it-all millennials, are spurring major shifts in employer programs."

Programs are important. New programs that lure talented people are important. But all they can do is bring people in the door. Programs don't keep people. Managers keep people.

Keeping people is important. According to the firm Newmeasures, a one percent improvement in retention can translate into a savings of $100,000 per year in recruiting and training costs. And what's the key? "Frontline managers are key to retaining employees," according to Diane Fassel, Newmeasures' CEO.

She's not alone. Workforce Management quoted Chris Mulligan, COO of TalentKeepers, as follows: "People will join companies for organizational factors such as pay, benefits, reputation, then the job itself. ... In as few as 90 days, the order of importance flip-flops, and now trust in their leaders is the single biggest reason that people stay."

The Gallup Organization chimes in to make the same point. Loyalty, job satisfaction, and productivity are all determined by employees' relationships with their immediate supervisors. Programs may be important, but how productive people are and how long they stay are determined primarily by the relationship they have with the boss.

In other words, people join companies, but they leave managers. Sure, sometimes great benefits, such as a first-rate health plan or on-site childcare will lock people in with a kind of "benefit handcuffs." But if you want quality people to stay for a long time and be productive while they're there an investment in great supervisors will pay off more than a trendy new program.

I think programs are important. I think changes in the workplace are important, especially changes that help people integrate the different parts of their lives into a unique and productive whole.

But programs alone won't do it. Spend all you want to on new and innovative programs, but if you don't deliver great supervision, you can count the cost as your people head for the exits.

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.

Request your free copy of "Meeting the Challenges of the Boomer Brain Drain: An integrated approach."

Wally Bock has helped people learn to be great bosses for more than a quarter century. His latest book, Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership, makes learning key leadership principles almost effortless by teaching through a story and providing lists of resources for further growth.

Click here to find out more about Wally's coaching services.

For weekly tips and resources pointers, check our Wally Bock's Three Star Leadership Letter.

Click here to find out more about having Wally speak to your company or convention.