Great employees are hard to come by, and once you’ve got them, you want to make sure you’re able to retain them. However, it seems that these days employee loyalty is at an all-time low. Why are employees moving quickly between jobs, and what can be done to induce them to stay? Raquel Roberts, Chief People Officer at Purchasing Power has some tried and proven methods to keep your employees happy and eager to come to work every day.
What are you giving them?
Apart from a salary, what are you giving to your employees that motivates them to keep working for you? In order to be content, people need meaningful interactions and engagement. Are you taking the time to talk to your employees and have positive interactions with them? If your only communication is to hand out assignments or to get updates on their projects, that isn’t going cut the mustard.
Flexibility
Your employees are adults, and while the norm has been for employees to come into an office every day, it’s becoming more and more obvious that allowing employees to work from home motivates them and actually helps them to work more productively.
Regular reviews
Annual reviews are fast becoming a thing of the past. Not only does it place too much pressure on the outcome of that one meeting, but it isn’t an effective way of keeping up employee morale. Try communicating all year round, placing as much emphasis on appreciation as you do on criticism.
Surprises help
Don’t wait for company days to give your employees a good time. Order pizzas all round for lunch one day. Send the team out for bowling and happy hours on a Monday. Write an email to every employee praising someone for their hard work. Recognition goes a long way.
Thoughtful benefits
Each employee has different needs, and the benefits you give to your employees should be based on their needs – company childcare, extended maternity/paternity leave, birthdays off, or whatever it is, make sure it’s addressing what your employees are looking for and can appreciate.
Contribute to their health
Your employees deserve to lead a balanced life, and not just be wage or office slaves. Promote their wellness and show them that it is important to you by providing healthy options like nature walks, standing desks, nutritional drinks/snacks, yoga, or group workouts for anyone who wants to join.
Use technology
Since people spend so much of their lives glued to their phone anyway, find ways to use that to the company’s advantage. Have an inter-company app, or a Facebook page that everyone can interact on. Encourage the sharing of humorous media and even send some yourself from time to time. Laughter is the best medicine, after all.
