You’ve interviewed, shortlisted, chosen, welcomed, onboarded, inducted, trained, and finally let your new member of staff get on with their new role in your company. You can see they are doing a great job and they look like they are settling in nicely.
After going through all those processes to get the right person, making sure you keep them should now be a top priority. A generous salary package will always be one of the top motivators to retaining employees but there are other things you can do to make those staff want to stay rather than go.
Developing strategies to increase employee retention will enable you to keep those valuable assets. It will also highlight issues that may be causing employees to leave, so that they can be addressed before that stage is reached.
Showing recognition
It’s been shown that employees who are given recognition for their work will work harder and stay longer. Creating a reward system, which everyone can be a part of and work towards, is a great way to show recognition. A points system could be developed whereby points could be traded in for rewards. Acknowledging one employee’s brilliant efforts to the rest of the team will have a knock-on effect, giving everyone a boost.
A strong culture
Potential employees will consider the culture of a company even before applying for a position. It is important you show that your company’s values are meaningful to everyone in the organisation. Strong relationships can be formed when everyone wants to be a part of the culture of a business, as everyone works to deliver the company’s core values. Rewarding those who show exceptional work in upholding the culture of the business is an extra incentive to stay.
Train your managers
The relationship between employees and their managers can directly affect whether they decide to leave, taking all their knowledge and training with them. Conversely a good relationship between managers and the people they manage can build trust, generate strong working relationships, and develop engagement within the workplace, all factors which would make employees want to stay. The importance of preparing your managers for their roles within the workplace can’t be overstated and having a great Management Development Plan in place is an essential part of that.
Consider the whole person
Workplace stress is one of the major reasons someone might decide to leave employment. To try and counter this, employers need to think about both the physical and mental wellbeing of employees. Giving employees clear Personal Development Plans, which are regularly actioned and discussed, give them a great understanding of targets and responsibilities. The implementation of a wellbeing strategy will be seen as a bonus. Flexible working patterns or even just something like dress down Fridays are both popular ways to increase wellbeing without having to incur costs.
Have Fun!
A huge part of working with a team is the relationship you build with the people in the team. Allowing occasions for those relationships to develop is important to the wellbeing of everyone and the more fun the better. Perhaps you could plan a fitness challenge or hold a charity event and get everyone involved. A person who is happy within their role will not easily want to give this up.
These are just a few ways to engage and retain top talent. You can choose a version of all or go with one and really embellish it. Make it what you are known for as a company and one your employees grow to rely on.
Having worked within businesses as a Line Manager, I know first hand some of the frsutrations faced…
