How to Hold On to Your Employees
With the economy firmly in recovery mode, many employees who held onto their jobs during the recession are quitting. New opportunities and options are enticing employees to leave their recession-era jobs to explore those possibilities. A recent survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found a 52% increase in the number of people who have quit their jobs since September 2009.
What’s driving this culture of quitting? In a word: dissatisfaction. Employees have become dissatisfied with their work tasks, management, coworkers, company culture, benefits, lack of trust in their employer, and lack of employers’ loyalty toward employees. Fortunately, there are things your clients can do today to help remedy employee dissatisfaction and work to retain the talent they can’t afford to lose.[sidebar]Employee Retention — HRAnswerLink Style
Here at HRAnswerLink, our company uses a variety of tools to retain our best and brightest. First, HRAnswerLink provides a flexible work environment — not just flexible hours but also places to work aside from employees’ desks. We have a stocked kitchen and even TVs so employees can take a break and catch up on current events.
HRA also uses a peer-focused reward program called the Starman Award. Employees nominate each other for something especially well-done. Then at our quarterly all-team meeting, one nominee is randomly selected, and the nominator gets to select a place where the winner would enjoy a $50 gift certificate. It’s really fun! And the submissions are really thoughtful and meaningful because the recognition is coming from fellow employees — not just management.[/sidebar]
Fighting the quitting trend
Employers can combat the quitting trend by building employees’ trust and getting them engaged and involved in their workplace. Consider using these tips to guide your employee-retention efforts.
Create a culture of honesty. Employees want to be able to trust their employers. Your clients can create a culture of honesty that builds this trust. Allow employees to speak freely about their dissatisfaction without fear of repercussions or termination. Then work with employees to find solutions to those issues of dissatisfaction. Fostering open and honest communication builds (or helps rebuild) employees’ trust. Make sure that communication flows both ways — keeping employees in the loop about what is going on with your company overall is another way to build trust.
Solicit and implement employee feedback. Your clients can collect employee feedback in a variety of ways, such as anonymous surveys, one-on-one discussions, or during meetings. The most important part of this tip is to show that you’re taking action to resolve issues communicated by employee feedback. Soliciting feedback without any resolution will only add to employees’ dissatisfaction.
Orient new employees for success. Another way your clients can combat dissatisfaction among their employees is to start new employee orientation with a positive experience. Assign new employees a mentor for at least the first week or so. Choose a mentor with an upbeat personality who is strongly engaged in the culture of your company.
Get smart about employee retention
Employee retention efforts work best when they’re proactive — that is, before any dissatisfaction sets in. If you’d like more help with employee retention, attend the upcoming HR Academy seminar: “Motivating and Retention: Strategies for Keeping your Best and Brightest” on Thursday, September 4, 2014 and Friday, September 5, 2014. The seminar, led by an HR Pro, will discuss employee retention strategies, the benefits of a flexible work environment, top reasons employees quit, and much more. To find out more or register for the seminar, visit our HR Support Center’s HR Academy Education and Training Webinars page.
[cta]We encourage you to take Training On-Demand for a test drive by clicking the “Training and Education” tab in the HR Support Center. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Alicia Ness in the Client Experience Department at any time.[/cta]
