Thank you!
Two words with a powerful effect!
That's no different in the corporate world. In times where we are all
struggling to retain our best employees, and it seems harder than ever to
secure new hires, it is more crucial than ever to show our appreciation to
those who have remained loyal to the organization. I know I do not have to get
into how much it costs organizations to replace employees, or to retain new
ones, because I'm certain you are very aware of the negative effects of high
turnovers. I do however, what you to retain your best staff!
After all a company's most
precious resources is that the humans! Your staff should be your #1 priority.
They can break or make your organization and if you have not already considered
that, it is in your best interest you start soon. Regardless of the industry,
if you take care of your staff, they will take care of your clients. It is much
easier to train happy, satisfied staff in customer service than it is training
someone who has no intentions of staying long or putting their best efforts
into the job.
When you ask someone what they
need to be satisfied at work their answers most times will fall into these
categories: salary, growth opportunities, benefits, work-life balance, work
environment and appreciation (Spector, & Spector, 1985). While I hope to
create a series of blogs that will investigate each category extensively, I
hope today you end this reading with a good idea of how you can retain your
staff.
To retain your best staff, you must provide them a compatible salary to begin with. Now let me say this because it is a source of frustration for me and many I know. If you are posting an opened position and instead of the actual salary, you are entering the words "compatible salary," you do not offer a compatible salary for that position. Be opened with your prospective candidates, it will save you and them a whole lot of time. Post the salary! If you have not done a market analysis do one soon. The competitors have and if they offer better benefits than you, while you may still fill your vacant positions, chances are you will always have vacant positions. For more about how to offer better benefits check out another blog on offering the right salary.
Here's another important aspect
of employee satisfaction, growth opportunities. You want to give them the
opportunities to learn, grow and move on. If you have an employee who has been
doing the same position now for years, you need to reconsider whether you truly
offer growth opportunities in your organization. Also, before bringing someone
in from outside of the organization, consider those that you currently have in
your team. Even if you do not currently have any leadership positions available
you should be training current employees who have presented either the desire
to grow or you feel have leadership abilities into leadership positions.
In these very difficult times,
it is important to not just offer a good salary to employees, but a good health
plan that won't break their bank. If you as an organization are not covering or
contributing to their health plan, you need to reconsider as soon as possible.
The most satisfied employees report having a good PTO plan with their
organization (Spector, & Spector, 1985). Allowing your team to take time
off to regroup and reconnect is essential for a healthy team. Which brings me
to the next point, work-life balance. Your staff should not have to jump
through hoops to be able to take 2 hours off one day to attend their children's
open houses. Nor should they feel like they need to miss out on their
children's lives to work for someone that has no compassion. If someone needs
to change their work schedule slightly to be able to attend their loved one’s
special occasions, so be it! Trust me, you'll have someone a lot more dedicated
and devoted to the company's goals if they can balance their work
responsibilities with their personal ones.
Create an environment at work
where no one is dreading coming in every day to work. This will help your
attendance issues and productivity as well. Personally, I make it my
responsibility to hear my team laugh daily. Walking through the halls and
hearing someone laugh is music to my ears. If they can laugh at work, I know
we're doing something well. Everyone is struggling with something in their
personal lives and if the time they spend at work can bring them any
opportunity to take a breather, then I'm happy.
Staff appreciation is so important! Many people link appreciation to job satisfaction. No one likes working their butt off for someone who's only form of appreciation to their employees is the paycheck they get. If you are one of those who thinks by paying them, you're appreciating them, understand that you will always get out of them exactly what you pay them for. Depending on what industry you are in, to get your staff to do what they are paid for will cost you in the long run. If people come in and do just what is expected of them and then go home, your ship will eventually sink my friend. You want to empower them to do more, you want to instill creativity that will create ways of doing things differently, better, more efficiently. That will come with appreciation. Whether it's a handwritten thank you note, calling them out in a meeting for their extra effort or a gift card for going the extra mile, there are endless ways to show your staff you appreciate them and you do not need to go bankrupt to do so.
Stay tuned for more information on how you can grow in each of these areas above to retain your best staff and create the best environment for your team.
references
Spector, P. E., & Spector, P. E. (1985). Job Satisfaction Survey. American Journal of Community Psychology, 13(6), 693–713.
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