Chances are, you’ve been blindsided by the resignation of an all-star employee. You probably watched productivity and morale take a nosedive — and wondered what went wrong. While some turnover on your team is ultimately inevitable, much of it can be prevented. So today, we’re gifting you our top 10 tips for employee retention. The ultimate gift is keeping more of your top performers within your organization longer.
Our Best Advice for Employee Retention
Take a read through our best pearls of wisdom on keeping your employees engaged and working for your company. Which ideas have you already implemented, and which do you still need to try?
#10: Onboard Thoughtfully — and Thoroughly
New employees need to feel welcomed and supported as they begin their tenure with your organization — and a one-day orientation isn’t going to cut it. Instead, you should create an extended onboarding program that acclimates them to their work environment, introduces them to the team, and gets them comfortable in their new role. Consider including formalized training, mentorship, team events, and regular check-ins and feedback as part of your process.
#9: Evaluate and Adjust Your Payscale
It’s tough to keep (and attract) A-players if you don’t offer a competitive salary. So, be sure to keep tabs on industry compensation trends and adjust your payscale as needed. That way, you don’t lose your next all-star to your competition over money.
#8: Offer a Robust and Customizable Benefits Package
While salary is important, your benefits package plays a big role in attracting and retaining talent. Professionals expect staples like health insurance, vacation time, and a retirement plan. So you need to find a way to make your suite of perks stand out.
Strive to provide a range of benefits that caters to employees at different stages of life. For example, you could offer student loan repayment assistance for college grads, paid parental leave for new parents, or long-term care insurance for pre-retirees. Then, your team members can pick and choose what matters most to them as their situation changes.
#7: Allow Flexible Work Arrangements
During the pandemic, many employees became accustomed to working from home and didn’t want to return to the office full-time. Plus, many workers still need a flexible schedule to care for children, aging relatives, their own health concerns, and other personal matters. So, if you can offer a remote or fluid work arrangement, your team members won’t have to look for that perk elsewhere.
#6: Recognize and Reward Often
Your staff puts in a lot of hours working towards organizational goals. Don’t let it be a thankless job. Be sure to recognize and reward them whenever possible and let them know they’re appreciated. Depending on the situation, the budget, and each employee’s preferences, you could offer them things like praises, raises, extra perks, or company swag.
#5: Focus on Professional Development
Most employees are driven to advance professionally, so they need to know that they have a future with your company. To help them see that, map out clear career paths for each team member, and offer ample opportunities to grow and develop. Your development plans could include training, conference attendance, job shadowing, job rotation, mentoring, professional organization membership, etc.
#4: Provide the Necessary Tools
Workers need adequate tools and resources to do their jobs. But, if those things aren’t readily available, your employees will get frustrated. Then, their productivity and morale will suffer. You can save your staff from a lot of irritation at work (and the potential aggravation of looking for a new job) by equipping them with the gear they require.
#3: Invite (and Listen to!) Employee Input
If your employees feel like they have a voice at work, they’ll be more invested in the company’s mission — and more likely to stay with the organization. So, give them regular opportunities to make suggestions and provide feedback. Then, try to implement as much of their input as practically possible.
#2: Give Regular Feedback
Your employees need to know how they’re doing to stay on track or make adjustments as necessary. So, give them feedback on their performance often. You can do so informally when teachable moments arise, at planned meetings, or both. Just make sure that your team members always know what’s expected of them and that they have your support along the way.
And the #1 Tip for Employee Retention is…
Hire the Right Person
The best onboarding process, compensation and benefits package, and professional development program in the world can’t make up for a bad hire. When recruiting mistakes happen, it not only hurts the team’s productivity, it sets up the new employee to fail because they’re not suited for the role. Eventually, they’ll either get fired for poor performance or quit, and you’ll have to start the hiring process again. But, you can reduce disruptions in production and unnecessary turnover by hiring the right person for the job from the get-go. I know, easier said than done sometimes, but…
How Omnia Can Help
To successfully retain your top talent, you need to understand what they want and how they tick. That’s where we come in. Our research-backed and proven behavioral assessment can help you unlock valuable insights into each employee’s communication and work style, motivations, personality, and more. That way, you can hire professionals who are a good match for your open positions and team dynamic. Plus, the same results will help you manage your workers effectively throughout their entire tenure with your organization.
The best part? The whole process is fast and easy. So if you’ve got a few minutes, try a complimentary assessment to see our tool in action.
Final Thoughts
It hurts when an employee leaves your company — especially if they’re a key player. Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to keep your team members happy and engaged for the long haul. So tell us: what are some of your favorite employee retention tips?
Remember: We’re here to help! Contact us today to learn more about our assessments and other resources.
