If you’re not on a mission to retain your staff, you should be.
If you haven’t heard, or if you’ve been living under a rock for the past 6 months, it’s a candidate short market. This means recruiters are on the loose and headhunting is on the rise.
Our best advice – get ahead of it... stat! Heck, even recruiters are being recruited.
We know how much time, effort and precious business resources go into finding the right people for the role, the company, and the culture. You don’t want to lose that all because you were behind the eight ball on salary, working from home arrangements or employee perks. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there right now. If you’ve found yourself some diamonds, here are a few tips on keeping them engaged, motivated, AND employed with YOU!
Straight from the Horse's Mouth
Find out what drives your staff, and then do something about it. Some key drivers; are salary, promotions or partnership options, personal development, and growth opportunities. Sit down with them and get to know what they hope to attain and achieve in the short and long term. Look at what going to work each day means to them E.g. the intent to make a difference, make bank, make partner, whatever it may be. But try and make it more of a continuous path. With the right motivations, the aim is for it to become habitual, which = longevity (jackpot).
Variety is the Spice of Life
It’s the little things that count. And this will be different for everyone. Take the Itches as an example, by 4 pm on Friday, I like to have a beer on my desk. Some of my colleagues prefer to work from home on Fridays, (probably so they don't have to listen to my Friday afternoon chat whilst consuming said beer... fair).
Offering staff options to work from home one day a week, or different start/finishing times to mix things up can keep staff motivated. It’s a little change that can make a big difference. Small tokens of appreciation go a long way, which leads me to my next point…
Their wins are your wins
Celebrate the wins, even the smaller ones. It is great for morale to have a little get-together on a Friday afternoon, round out the week and talk about some accomplishments, a pat on the back here and there. It could even be a mid-week morning tea and coffee on the house (watch your employees ride that serotonin wave from hump day to the weekend). Appreciation goes a long way, especially from the boss. It might just be the encouragement someone needs to close the 20 Seek ads open in the browser. Positivity is infections, so let’s spread it like butter... liberally.
Communication, with a capital C.
Open, clear, concise. If (God forbid) your star employee is looking around, you would want to hope they can feel as though they can come to you and openly discuss why they are looking at other options. You want the opportunity to discover any issues, not only to work out how to keep them, but also so that you don't make the same mistake twice. Endeavour to have a one-on-one chat with each of your staff members every few months, make it casual, build rapport, and make them feel like they can come to you with the small niggles before they mutate into the muse for a resignation letter.
Every Day is a School day
Offer to upskill. Great employees are always hunting for ways to improve or diversify their skillset. Many companies entice potential candidates to work for them, by offering paid courses, events, and conferences, you want to be ahead of that. Not only does it keep employees motivated, but there's a good chance that you'll add value to your business as well. It’s a win/win. If you invest in your staff, there is a good chance of being repaid in loyalty.
Start As You Mean to Go On
Be consistent. All these tips are great (even if I do say so myself 😉) BUT…there is no point in implementing any of them if you’re not going to be consistent and follow through. Delegate if you must, but don’t slack off because you’re too busy. Make sure you’re walking the walk and talking the talk. There are plenty of HR options and external consultants who can help you with this.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again; people are a business's most valuable asset. We know it, and they know it. And it does not take much to ensure that everybody is kicking goals together.
Regardless of the number of candidates in the market, employee happiness should be the priority. We live in a world where technology can make nearly anything possible. Now that our ability to socialise has stabilised (kind of), find out how your employees prefer to be acknowledged and appreciated, and make that your mission.
If you have just read this and feel like you could be doing more. I have some great news. I know an amazing group of consultants who would be happy to chat with you about how you can improve your engagement and retention.
From one satisfied employee.
Executive + Recruitment Admin