Riley Steinbach March 8, 2021 Your talent is your most valuable asset; therefore, it is important to prioritize them. Employees directly contribute to the success of your company. Increasing employee engagement and alignment, which ultimately leads to employee productivity and retention, should be one of the primary goals of any organization.
Employee turnover is expensive, but avoidable. The cost of replacing and training someone new can cost an organization a lot more than if they were to put money and resources into their current employees. Employee retention is an important focal point for companies, as 87% of HR experts consider retention to be among the highest priorities in the next 5 years.
In this article, we outline some tips to retain your employees and keep the best talent you have working for you!
1) Deliver continuous feedback
If employees are not receiving feedback on their work, they can become frustrated or disengaged over time. Continuous feedback between managers and peers allows for open conversations in which recognition for jobs well done and suggestions for improvement can be discussed. This ultimately helps increase employee engagement and thus productivity.
Addressing performance once a year (aka annual reviews) simply does not work – feedback should be given once a week for best results. When feedback becomes a steady routine, it becomes expected. In fact, employees whose managers are consistently acknowledging them for good work are five times more likely to stay at a company. If you invest in the growth of your employees, they can feel more engaged and motivated to work in the company rather than leaving.
One note on feedback – it has to be effective. Effective feedback needs to be constructive, unbiased, and forward-focused so that employees can interpret and understand where they can improve.
2) Provide more opportunities and responsibilities
Most employees take a job because they want to have the opportunity to grow, develop their skills, meet their goals, and have a fulfilled career. If your employee starts to feel that they are no longer developing in their position or that their tasks are too ‘easy’, they may start to feel discouraged and disengaged. This can lead to an employee searching for a new job with better opportunities.
In order to keep these employees at your organization, don’t hold back on giving them more responsibility. Whether that be leading a project, coming up with a novel initiative, or leading a small team, these opportunities can make your employee feel like a valuable part of the team. Moreover, it allows them to develop new skills. 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development. Another way you can create an opportunity for your employees is by offering or subsidizing a learning or development program – for example, offering additional courses to increase their knowledge of a topic or by creating your own effective development course within the organization. The trick is to create a sense of opportunity and optimism in your workplace – people want the challenge of more responsibility to enhance their career!
3) Support a work-life balance for your employees
Organizations are having to adapt to what a healthy work-life balance looks like for employees. Flexible work options including remote work have become a big trend over the past year, and remote work has seemed to make employees about 40% more productive than in-office employees (of course, this increased productivity depends on having the right goal management, feedback, video conferencing, etc. tools)! This flexibility allows employees to have a healthier work-life balance which many employees, especially younger generations, have been wanting out of their organizations. Encouraging a healthy work-life can have a direct effect on employee retention. Workers who have a good work-life balance are 10% more likely to stay at their companies than those who don’t. Another way to encourage a work-life balance for employees can be as simple as managers encouraging employees to take breaks and focusing on productivity instead of hours worked.
4) Build relationships
Relationships in the workplace have a big impact on the amount of productivity, engagement, and retention within an organization. It is important for employees to feel comfortable and confident at work, and so having good working relationships is critical. While many managers might not realize it, relationships can directly affect how happy an employee is working at your organization. In fact, a study done by Officevibe found that 70% of employees say friends at work are the most crucial element to a happy working life. There are a few small things that your organization can do to build and foster these relationships. For example, having monthly game nights, team happy hours, or a mentorship match-up with non-managers can help form relationships with various peers within the organization.
5) Recognize and reward employees
If your employee feels like a valuable part of the team, they are likely to stay within your organization. 63% of employees who are recognized are very unlikely to look for a new job. A simply act such as saying thank you or a small incentive can encourage a culture of high productivity, it does not always have to be a big promotion or a increase in salary.
Recognition not only encourages employees to stay with your organization, but it increases their engagement within their roles. Working towards a goal or a reward can make employees feel increasingly dedicated and enthusiastic about completing a project. Consistent recognition also helps create a culture of recognition in your organization where employees and managers want to be a part of.
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