While strong and engaged employees may be the type of team member that every company hopes for, retaining these key resources may be harder than you think. Paying your staff a fair salary is not enough to keep your employees happy and around for the long haul, so consider these strategies that can help you maintain and retain some of the best talents at your organization.
Encourage Time Off
While many businesses offer paid time off policies, not every organization creates an environment where taking time off is part of the culture. Solely offering paid time off policies does not support an employees’ ability to recharge. Practices that implicitly discourage time away from the office can lead to burnout. Whether your employees prefer hiking adventures, some hawaiian cruises, or quiet getaways, the most important piece is to get them away from work. Regardless of how your employees choose to recharge, you need to create an environment that promotes a healthy balance.
Address Issues of Perception
Fairness in the workplace may seem like an obvious aspect of a cohesive work environment but can be easily damaged. Unfair decision-making, unearned promotions and a lack of accountability, can also signal a lack of caring for equity at work. If you aren’t intentional and careful with your operations, the perception of unfair treatment at work can run rampant and leave you with disgruntled employees.
Consider Needs Outside of Work
It is important to understand that employees are whole individuals outside of the workplace. Their existences do not solely revolve around the business and their role at work, so you need to acknowledge that. Being considerate of their needs outside of work is a way to express a caring attitude and level of flexibility that can lead people to feel seen and understood.
Create Opportunities for Growth
When your employees feel stagnant at work, they can start to feel dragged down by the mundanity of it all. Instead of losing key talent and impressive employees to boredom and unfulfilling work, create these opportunities for growth internally. If there are open positions and you can promote an employee who is thriving and achieving into the role, just imagine how this can help your staff member get excited at work and find a whole new level of meaning in their profession.
Devote Yourself and Your Company to Development
While promotions can be a strategy to keep your employees engaged, you can also help them find meaning in professional development. By creating opportunities for your employees to continue to grow and develop, you can give them the chance to learn new skills and expand their expertise. This sets them up for their future and can help them feel energized by this new mental stimulation.
Trust Your Team
Trust is a characteristic embraced by some of the most prominent leaders. By trusting your employees and allowing them to build flexibility into work you can productively refocus your energy and they can feel free to do the work in the way that best suits their workstyle and life. While micromanaging can feel comforting to those who desire control, this can feel soul-crushing for your team. Instead of control, try using inspirational and accountability to get your team moving.
Have Fun
Considering how much time you spend at work, why not get to know your colleagues and enjoy each other’s company. By building in activities to laugh and build a community together, your employees can feel excited about spending time together. This can create an environment where the team is invigorated by the presence of their teammates.
Mind-numbing jobs can lead your best talent to up and leave before you’ve truly harnessed their potential. Instead of spending unnecessary funds retaining new talent, invest in the incredible talent that you have and you will be sure to appreciate the results of these fruitful practices and the improved culture that you create at your company.
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