You don’t hire people to lose them. It’s essential for your organization to focus on employee retention which means building a sense of role clarity, purpose, and an understanding of why things matter.
Many employers are seeing high rates of turnover in their business. The combination of the Great Resignation and shorter employment spans shines a spotlight on retention.
Below are beginning points to consider to improve your organization’s employee retention and engagement that are not tied directly to salary levels.
- Put first things first for employee retention
Focus on your culture and communication: Googling employee retention ideas delivers flashy ideas of fun ways to keep your employees. These ideas may keep some of your employees engaged for a short time. However, to effectively retain your employees it’s important to take a moment to review your company’s culture. It’s essential to make sure we are living what we say we are. Core values aren’t just words for us to aspire to, they’re ideals to guide our actions. If flexibility or a family environment are important to your organization, review how many employees have taken PTO recently. Some other areas to focus on are clearly communicating expectations and being open to feedback. When employees understand what’s expected of them and feel heard they are inspired and ensure they’re with you for the long haul. We all get busy and sometimes we need a reminder to pause and take stock to see if we’re operating the way we want to and the way we say we are.
- Identify Which Employees are Most at Risk
Make sure you’re focusing in the right area: Many organizations are hiring employees only to lose them in the first year. If you’re losing people before the one-year mark, take a look at your onboarding process. Engagement starts from day one. Were expectations communicated clearly? Is their manager checking in on them regularly? Does their experience match what they were told during the hiring process?
Other companies are seeing high turnover in certain departments or with certain positions. Consider checking in with current members of that team to see how they’re feeling, what obstacles they’re facing, and any ideas they may have to make improvements. We know that the hiring market is competitive. Make sure that the people who are still here feel valued and heard. Identify any potential flight risks and create a plan to help them feel engaged and keep them on board.
- Think Creatively
We live in a modern world: Think creatively about flexibility. Hybrid and Remote Work are hot topics right now. Many people converted to working remotely due to COVID. Employees feel they’ve proven they’re just as productive at home as they are in the office. If you’re not ready to take the plunge to a remote work force, consider starting with smaller steps, let’s say, one day per week. The message is that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. New ideas can be implemented in stages. If your employees need to be on-site, one idea is to consider starting a rotating short day on Fridays to kick off the weekend.
- Money Isn’t Always the Answer
Ask the audience: If you want to know what will make your employees stick around, ask them. Often, we hear that an employee is leaving for “an offer they couldn’t refuse”. It’s logical to think that giving a raise is a simple solution. Think deeper, what made them start looking for a new position or entertain an offer in the first place? Maybe they’re looking for more benefits or they’re interested in learning a new skill. Maybe they feel disconnected or have lost sight of how their efforts impact your organization’s success.
Proactively performing stay interviews give insights to what is working well for your teams. In an exit interview, collect information and assess which points could be realistic and attainable changes for your organization. These conversations offer an opportunity to demonstrate to your employees that you value their contribution and presence.
Employees’ ability to connect and commit to their employer relies on the clarity of messaging that cascades the “what” and the “why it matters” to all levels. Your organization’s leaders, especially your managers, set the tone, and directly impact your employee’s satisfaction and engagement. It’s critical to ensure they are equipped to discover and utilize candid feedback, identify opportunities for employee growth, and positively impact your employees’ experience as a member of your team. Achilles Group is here to guide your organization and equip your leaders by offering advice and coaching to enable your leaders to make smart people decisions.
Achilles Group provides HR services
to help you make smart people decisions.
Our HR outsourcing model is the most cost-effective approach to attract and hire the talent you need to drive profitability.
As a team, we learn your business, what you produce, the services you offer and how you make money.
We engage with your organization’s leaders to guide their development, equipping them to make smart people decisions. We offer a variety of training and facilitation sessions that provide your team with guidance and knowledge to expand their skills as a manager, and most importantly a leader, within your organization.
Learn more at https:http://www.achillesgroup.com
