Any time your best workers quit, it’s frustrating and hard to not take personally. However, the reasons are often more complex than you think. Sometimes the employee feels that there is no room for advancement or they want to learn more skills and develop their trade. Sometimes employees feel that the workplace culture is no longer a good fit. Whatever the reasons, if you want to keep your star employees on board, you’ll need to strategize ways to keep them motivated and satisfied.
Give them opportunity for growth
Your best employees aren’t just the most talented; they are often the most driven. They want new challenges and room to grow. Many want to become leaders. Take the time to promote from within, even if that means providing additional training. Great employees often move on because they are ready for more responsibility before you can give it. Finding alternative ways for your employees to be leaders will keep them on board and satisfied.
Emphasize the work-life balance
When your best employees are motivated and inspired, they’ll work around the clock for you, because they enjoy what they do. However, if there is too much stress to meet production quotas or too much pressure to reach a deadline, even your best employees will buckle. Ask them what shifts they want to work, so they can come in when they feel most energized a productive. You can also provide access to frequent vacation days to avoid burnout.
Be generous with recognition and feedback
When your staff – both permanent and temporary – does a good job, they want to hear it. Recognizing hard work, even just a casual “thank you,” goes a long way. Likewise, when employees don’t get the project right, they want to know why. They want productive feedback that helps them becomes stronger, faster and smarter. There are many different ways to give feedback to your staff, both individually and as a group. Employee recognition programs are a great way to show your appreciation for a job well done. It’s also useful to give regular performance reviews, so your employees can follow their progress.
Provide meaningful work
Employees, both contingent workers and direct hires, want to feel that they are part of something that makes a difference. They want their work to be meaningful, both for themselves and the world. If your employees are doing the same repetitive tasks over and over without any connection to the bigger picture, they will likely start to look somewhere else. If their major priorities run the risk of lacking meaning, encourage them to join committees dedicated to improving the workforce environment. You can even allow them to support a charity or nonprofit on the job.
Taking the time to create a retention plan will show your top talent that you don’t just value them as employees; you value them as people. As you consider the staffing challenges you may face in 2015, remember you don’t have to do it alone. Contact Pascoe Workforce Solutions and we’ll get a plan in place that keeps your top talent happy and productive. Why waste money on a tedious hiring process when you can partner with us and let our expert recruiters do all the hard work?