How to attract and retain great employees
Our Director, Clare Kelly, shares her insights on how to attract and retain great employees from her experience of managing and accommodating the needs of staff at Glandore.
Research shows that staff retention is a sign of consistent work and great customer service for your company. It also indicates job satisfaction among staff. Everybody benefits.
So what makes someone care about their job? What makes them want to stay?
Creating a great place to work and a culture that makes staff feel happy, supported and motivated is key. Throwing money at them isn’t necessary – and often doesn’t work. A higher salary helps, but it’s only a small piece of the puzzle.
Whether you are running a small business or a large corporation, here are six things you can do to make your company a workplace that’s hard to say goodbye to.
1. Create a strong company culture
And then spend time in the recruitment process finding people who will fit with it.
Having a clear mission statement is a great way to attract people who will fit in at your company. But it has to be accurate, genuine and followed through on if you want to retain these staff.
Dedication to company values should be shown at all levels. This is particularly important for millennial members of the workforce who often want to know why a company does what it does and the purpose behind their work.
If you believe in your mission and values, and you hire staff who believe in it too, this creates a shared sense of purpose and greater employee satisfaction.
2. Allow for career and professional development
The simplest way you can help your staff feel happy and engaged at work is by helping them grow both professionally and personally.
Take time to build a structure that allows for career development within your business. Letting staff know where they can go and how they can get there will give them a reason to stick around.
Set aside time and money to invest in developing your staff’s skills. Actively ask them what they would like to learn.
While this can sometimes be difficult for small businesses, another way to help employees grow and develop their career is simply by providing them with constructive feedback on a frequent basis.
3. Show great leadership
New job candidates want to know who they will be working for all the way up the food chain. All the leaders within your company need to demonstrate integrity and uphold the values of your company.
When employees respect management, they feel secure. Managers need to be accessible, communicate well and give feedback. This is key to employee satisfaction.
In an environment like this, if an employee wants to take their career in a new direction or gain experience in a new area, they will feel they can approach management to discuss this before looking to another company for opportunities.
4. Rewards and recognition are essential
Recognition, praise and rewards definitely help improve staff retention. An employee who feels underappreciated in their workplace will no doubt start looking elsewhere for job opportunities.
Everyone plays a part in the success of a company. Taking a moment to acknowledge someone or write a thank-you note can mean a lot. Never hesitate to give credit to those who deserve it.
For big accomplishments, showing appreciation with a reward will certainly go a long way to boosting morale.
Incentives don’t need to be expensive – a half-day, a gift voucher or being treated to lunch are all great ways to say thank you.
5. Create a caring environment for employees
As well as rewards and recognition for particular accomplishments, it is also important to show your staff that you care about their well-being in general.
Workplace wellness programmes are becoming more and more common in some of the world’s best workplaces. But again, this doesn’t have to be a costly endeavour.
Providing healthy snacks and organising the occasional yoga class for your staff will show them that you care, as well as improve productivity.
You can also put some thought into your office layout and processes to create an environment free from unnecessary stress.
The smallest of things can affect a team’s ability to work effectively. Where people sit and the type of meetings you hold can have a lot of influence.
6. Let employees think for themselves
New talent will be attracted to a job that offers them an opportunity to think creatively. It sounds exciting to newcomers and keeps current employees engaged with their work.
Rather than assigning specific jobs to people, put them all on a board and let staff pick out their tasks for the day. Everything will still get done, but employees will feel happier taking charge.
If you’ve hired well, trust people to do their jobs. Just let them know that your door is open if they hit any bumps in the road.
A little bit of freedom and control will prevent boredom and allow employees to feel more satisfied in their work.
As a business owner, the best thing you can do to attract employees that are right for your business is to have clear values. The best thing you can do to retain employees is to provide them with job satisfaction. When they are happy they will do their best for your business and stick around longer. In the end, everyone wins.