Today, more than ever, employees have enormous flexibility when looking for jobs. Many professions are web-based, allowing experts to compete for projects across the globe. As if that wasn’t enough, you can easily get jobs in other countries, given the EU regulation and other open border policies.
While this might sound great for employees, it puts pressure on employers. Companies have to work extra hard to retain top-tier talent and avoid any operational disruptions. Besides providing competitive paychecks, businesses have to pay close attention to working conditions and how they treat the workforce.
In this article, we take a look at ten tricks that will significantly increase employee retention but also help you land elite talent.
1. Put emphasis on cleanliness and safety
Cleanliness and safety are among the top priorities when recruiting new employees, but also for retaining the existing workforce. No one wants to work in a messy or unsafe space, and even if employees initially tolerate the issue, it will eventually affect their productivity and morale.
Luckily, it doesn’t take much to improve safety and cleanliness. Besides hiring a quality maintenance company, you should encourage employees to keep their desks and common areas tidy. As for safety, you can add cameras to the office and parking lots and add lights in secluded areas.
2. Provide decent paychecks
When looking for a new workplace, talented workers usually prioritize businesses known for good paychecks. Getting that extra money can be great at any point in a career, but it is especially vital for veteran employees with small kids. Among others, giving out nice, fat paychecks is also a recognition of employees’ worth and contribution, which can have a fantastic effect in the long run.
Besides paychecks, you can also compensate employees through bonuses. This is tried and tested trick for boosting productivity that works best for ambitious team members.
However, this doesn’t mean you should give out money on a whim, and there’ll be situations where you’ll have to deny good employees asking for a raise. In these cases, make sure to properly communicate that the company doesn’t have the budget so you don’t alienate top earners.
3. Improve communication
Your employees should feel encouraged to speak their minds. Having open communication between team members, as well as employees and management, is vital for improving business results. Companies that encourage communication usually perform better as their staff can easily exchange ideas and critique the processes.
Having an open-door policy also goes a long way in building trust and making employees feel appreciated.
4. Give fantastic benefits
Benefits are somewhat related to paychecks and should be considered extra money you receive on top of the salary. While employees might not care as much about benefits as they do about salaries, they still welcome any perks you might provide.
Besides retirement, health, and dental plans, an employer can offer paid time off, corporative vacations, various memberships, and the ability to work from home.
5. Recognize dedication
People often leave companies because higher-ups don’t recognize their contributions. While an occasional tap on the shoulder is an excellent way to start off, we suggest a more public approach.
Besides sending company-wide emails and praising dedicated employees during meetings, you can also introduce accomplishment awards. During events, you can give out plaques to those who merit them the most. Good recognition awards examples include “Employee of the Year,” “Innovation Award,” and “Value Award.”
6. Enable growth
Working for years and years for the same employee can become tedious despite all the benefits. Many employees become stagnant both in terms of growth and the position they’re in.
An excellent way to stir things up is by organizing seminars, workshops, and other events during which employees can hone their skills. Give your staff a chance to prove themselves in practical situations, and assign them harder and harder tasks that would push them to the limit.
However, be careful as to who you’re encouraging. Some people aren’t that ambitious and are satisfied performing the same type of work for numerous years.
7. Offer assistance
The best managers lead by example. Whenever a staff member is stuck performing a certain task, you can offer them a helping hand. Not only will this improve the relationship between the two of you, but it is also a learning opportunity for the employee in question.
In many cases, you don’t even need to help out. Just asking a person if they’re having trouble with a task can build you up as an authority and a mentor.
8. Introduce social activities
Many people aren’t that interested in attending company activities. There are those who are just looking to finish their day and go home to their families. Regardless, social activities are a good opportunity to bond and loosen up after a hard week at work.
Some of the ideas you might want to consider are holiday parties, picnics, retreats, sports games, dinners, and happy hours. Family events can also be fantastic for teams that have numerous individuals with kids.
9. Provide information
Many companies prefer to keep their business stuff behind closed doors. They rarely talk about the company as an entity, only sharing basic day-to-day information with their employees.
The best way to create a connection with your team is by sharing the corporate vision. It’s vital that you keep them in the loop regarding the company’s dealings and the direction you’re heading in. This small trick will not only build trust but also make employees feel involved.
Among others, by sharing business info, you’re ensuring that people feel invested in the endeavor. As a result, they’re more likely to go the extra mile for the team.
10. Protect your employees
“The customer is always right” is one of the oldest, corniest sayings in the business world. Unfortunately, this phrase doesn’t always hold true, as some clients have unrealistic expectations from their providers.
Occasionally, some of your employees will get blasted for their performance. In these cases, the last thing you need is to pile on the stress. Instead, make sure to support the staff member and, when needed, protect their work in front of a client.
