Employees bored? Frustrated? Checked out?
Actively searching for work with your competitors?
Would you honestly know it if they were?
Employees don’t wear signs around their neck letting you know when they feel stagnant, overworked or underappreciated – even though these are some of the biggest contributors to voluntary turnover cited in this recent Inc.com post.
Every time a talented employee quits, your company takes a hit. And in today’s employment market, voluntary turnover is more expensive than ever. It increases the stress on remaining employees, threatens both quality and knowledge retention, and carries huge opportunity costs.
Bottom line? Once you find great employees, do everything you can to keep them! Use these practical tips from our Cool Springs staffing agency to prevent unnecessary turnover:
- Address the needs of the whole person. Paying a fair salary is essential, but many of the reasons good employees quit have nothing to do with money. Achieving and maintaining a healthy work/life mix significantly affects retention (especially among younger generations), so provide the balance your employees crave. Ideas include telecommuting, flexible scheduling, job sharing and compressed work weeks.
- Plan career paths. If career-minded employees don’t have clear plans for growing within your organization, they’re likely to look for more promising opportunities elsewhere. Keep superstars committed by creating and sustaining career momentum. Set aside time each year (or more frequently, for exceptional performers) to discuss and plan employees’ growth and future with your company. Ideally, each employee should have a rolling 3-to-5-year career plan that aligns with your corporate goals.
- Address culture problems. Are employees proud to work at your company? Do they feel effective in their roles and understand how their work impacts the entire organization? Do they feel valued? Or could you be completely unaware of culture issues that are alienating talented workers? While it can be challenging to get current employees to be candid about culture problems, exit interviews may provide valuable insights. If you’re not already, add exit interviews to your retention and culture-building toolkit.
- Prevent burnout. Sustained, heavy workloads drive good people out the door. Resist the urge to micromanage, and try to build more fun into employees’ work days. Recognize them frequently for the hard work they do (especially when things are busy) and provide the flexible staffing support they need to stay focused, productive and working at peak efficiency.
As a leading Cool Springs staffing firm, Wood Personnel creates exceptional matches between talent and employer – to ensure direct hires stay with you, exceed your expectations and thrive in your culture. Guaranteed. Hiring in 2017? Let’s talk.
