A business is built on its employees. If they cultivate a team with talented individuals that are fully engaged in their respective roles, the company will continually grow and succeed. If staff members are the opposite of this, however, where they are inept and bored by the work they do, this is only going to spell disaster for an organization.
As a result, it is essential that when a business unearths a top talent, they do all they can to keep them. Yet this isn’t as easy as it sounds.In 2020, statistics suggestedtwo-thirds of employees were contemplating leaving their current job. If there isn’t the right mixture of compensation, job satisfaction, and respect provided, it’s not uncommon for workers to seek new career opportunities.
If you run a business and you’re worried about your best talent going elsewhere, this article will detail ways to ensure you don’t have the challenging and costly task of replacing employees.
Provide the right training
When employees develop under your guidance, they’re more likely to stick around. They will feel invested in your company, where learning in-house or via external courses can help to improve and grow their skillset. The potential to grow within the business, where they move up the ranks and earn promotions, will also give them the motivation to remain.
With that said, in certain industries, this can be a tricky step to take. Say you run a care home agency. Your employees are remote as they provide care within the homes of clients. It can be difficult to provide in-depth guidance and education, hence why so many carers work with little to no training. This is why it is important to reach out to a specialist provider like CareAcademy, who can provide online training for your caregivers.
By being able to educate your workforce, your business can benefit in multiple ways. Of course, your employees will feel more valued, which helps with keeping them onboard. You also naturally gain more skilled and proficient staff members, ensuring your agency can provide the best service possible – which in turn boosts your reputation and brings in more clients.
Promote flexibility
Even before 2020, modern workers were seeking increased flexibility and mobility in the workplace. Now with the experience of working around a pandemic under your belt, there’s no excuse to not supply something different to the normal office 9-to-5.
When you incorporate fluid PTO policies, flexible hours, and remote working opportunities, employees are going to be happier to work for your company. Not only that, but they will also be more productive in completing their day-to-day tasks. This overall satisfaction can go a long way to ensuring your staff members are not searching for other job opportunities.
Provide consistent feedback
Open communication between you and your employees can go a long way to forging strong relationships. It builds a sense of shared purpose and community within the company, where staff members don’t just feel like another cog in the machine.
As for how this communication can be conducted, regular meetings are a great way to encourage employees to ask questions and offer up ideas to benefit how your business operates. Aside from meetings where everyone is together, it is also recommended to communicate one-on-one with each staff member consistently.
When providing feedback, this should include both praise and constructive criticism when necessary. Positive comments are obviously going to be received well by employees – after all, who doesn’t enjoy their hard work being recognized and applauded?
When it comes to constructive criticism, however, it’s important you tread a fine line. If you’re too negative, this can destroy the motivation of your workers. When you present your criticism in a respectful manner, your employees should respond to this positively.
Always be open to any feedback that employees may have about your business. They might feel a certain aspect of the business isn’t running as efficiently as it should, for instance. If you act on this information and make recommended changes, they will believe their voice is being heard and that they’re a valued member of your company.
Utilize technology
A company with outdated technology and hardware is one that is placing a self-imposed handicap on its employees. It causes the workflow to be slower than it needs to be, and these inefficiencies can be a detriment to the overall morale of staff members. Plus, by sticking with old technology and processes, this sends the message that your organization lacks interest in staying up-to-date with the way the world is moving forward – not good for convincing employees your business is the right choice for them long-term.
If you take a positive approach with technology, where you implement the likes of cloud computing and the latest automation tools, this is going to be appreciated by everyone. It is possible for tasks to be done quicker and more effectively. In addition, those dull and repetitive tasks – aka those ones which no worker looks forward to completing –can be automated, which ensures employees don’t get bogged down by duties that sap at their energy.
Supply incentives
Yes, being flexible and offering opportunities to learn are incentives for employees. However, it is wise you go beyond this when it comes to incentivizing your workers.
First of all, their standard weekly compensation should be competitive and fall in line with what other local establishments offer in the industry. To make sure this is the case, check local job listings to find out what type of salary is being offered. If your budget can stretch to it, try to offer an even bigger base salary than the competition.
Aside from a standard wage, you should also offer bonuses when employees meet their targets and do a good job. These bonuses don’t only have to be monetary-based, either. It could be a weekend break or even additional days off from work. When you provide incentives on top of a competitive salary, employees are going to be less likely to look elsewhere for a different career.
