Businesses exert a lot of time and resources in sourcing and appointing the right people. Having excellent staff is great but you cannot rest on your laurels. Competitors are always ready to prise them away with lucrative offers. How do you ensure that your best and brightest remain happy in their jobs and committed to your company?
Create a nice atmosphere
If your workplace is a pleasant place to work, your staff will feel more comfortable and have less reason to seek a move. Good rapport can be fostered by organising occasional staff outings, parties and collective participation in charity events. The investment in morale boosting activities can be crucial to staff retention in the long run.
Keep the lines of communication open
The phrase ‘my door is always open’ may be a cliché, but every manager should operate an open door policy. Look for employees input at meetings and ask for feedback when introducing new measures or projects and consider implementing suggestions they might have. This openness and transparency generates positivity amongst staff as they feel that you trust them and value their input and opinions.
Keep staff challenged
The best talent in any organisation want to be challenged in their role. If they are not stimulated by their work they may consider looking for pastures new. Vary tasks where possible. Assign staff to testing projects where they can put their skill set to use in different areas of the company. This will help invigorate staff and make them feel that every day at work represents a new challenge.
Reward excellence
Hard work and great results need to be acknowledged by management. Few things are more disheartening in the workplace than top class work not being appreciated. Acknowledgement can take the form of bonuses and generous commission rates or staff outings and parties. If employers feel their efforts are going unnoticed they can feel undervalued and begin to look at other organisations where they may receive more recognition and rewards.
Allow for work/life balance
Companies that recognise that employees have lives outside of the workplace generally have higher staff retention rates. If at all possible, offer schemes that allow for flexi time and even working from home. For example I’m currently working remotely from Canada for Sigmar in Ireland as I really wanted to go travelling for a few months without having to look for a job, so my boss has let me do that.
Ensure that you have adequate sick leave in place and provide sufficient holiday time. If employees don’t feel that they are receiving good perks or are unhappy with their work/life balance they could think about making a move.
Provide a platform for continued learning
Assertive employees want to learn and grow within an organisation. Allow them to attend seminars and training courses and sit internal exams if feasible. Staff will be grateful for the chance to upskill and increase their knowledge base.
Opportunity for progression
Every ambitious employee has the desire to progress their career as much as possible. It’s vital that structures are in place to allow progression. Hiring from within the organisation can have a really positive effect. Staff can see that there is a chance of advancement within the company. If talented members of the organisation see senior roles being filled by outside candidates, they can feel undervalued and become disheartened. This may lead to them seeking a move to another company where they feel they may receive the opportunities they deserve.
Conclusion
We hear time and again that employees are an organisations most valuable resource. Keeping them feeling valued and satisfied should be one of your main priorities. Staff leaving can be bad for company spirit and hinder productivity, while finding replacements can be difficult. Happy employees who are comfortable in their post are a lot less likely to leave. The onus is on you as a company to ensure that your employees are content and fulfilled in the job.
Posted by Recruitment Consultant, Sigmar on 7 December 2017
