This Halloween, don’t scare your employees away. Increase their job experience instead! The hiring process can be a real drain on resources. Not only does it take time, but there’s no guarantee your new employee won’t leave after you have gone to great expense training them. They’ve gained some excellent work experience, but have more than likely left your company in a very tight spot while they take their new-found skills to another employer.
The solution, then, is to ensure your employees never have a reason to leave, and every reason to stay. While life’s too complicated to expect every employee to stay with your company for the entire duration of their career, it’s not unreasonable to assume at least a few years of service before they move on.
Maintaining a high level of morale is not always about the size of the pay packet, as there are many other variables which go into producing an enjoyable and rewarding work environment. It should be emphasized here that happy and content employees directly correlates to positive customer experiences.
We’ve gathered together a few tips you can use to ensure your employees look forward to clocking on every day and enjoy the time they spend as a valued employee of your business.
Get Regular Employee Feedback
Regularly surveying employees using one of the aptly named pulse survey tools, helps a company keep abreast of work-life balance issues and employee performance challenges. A pulse survey tool is a fast and frequent survey system which does away with complicated questions. This method allows the survey to be completed weekly, and provide a quick insight into the emotional health of the company.
In the past, the strategy for many companies was to take care of shareholders first, customers second, and put their employees’ needs on the backburner. It turns out that taking care of employees needs first results in a more positive customer experience. By taking care of employees and ensuring they maintain a high level of job satisfaction, the benefits cascade up the line to cover the needs of everybody associated with the business – customers, employees, and shareholders alike.
Provide Options for Optimal Work-Life Balance
Never forget that your employees have a life outside of work that is important to them. A steady work-life environment can help to keep everyone happy and stable. When life happens, the chances are high that an employee’s work will be affected, even if they have no intention of letting it do so. Loved ones pass, divorces happen, and kids can go through all manner of drama and often need their parents at odd hours.
It’s important to engage with employees at a personal level and cut them some slack when they are going through a difficult time in their personal life. If extended time off is not an option, try reworking their schedule, so they have at least some leeway to work through their challenges. Employers who work with their employees through challenging life events will be rewarded with loyalty and a worker who makes rational decisions about their career and choice of employer.
Match Employee Goals with Corporate Purpose
In the early days of a start-up, when there are fewer employees, it’s more common for employees’ career goals to be in line with the corporate purpose. As more employees enter into the fold, however, matching their career vision with the company’s goals becomes more difficult. It’s essential for a company to have defined goals, and to also communicate those goals from the top down, to create a cohesive business culture which shares similar values, vision, and the expected behaviors of employees. This well-defined structure highlights the company culture and provides direction for employees to help them progress the company towards that vision and be proud that they are an essential part of it.
It’s not easy to keep all employees happy all of the time. By communicating with and connecting with employees at a personal level, helping with their work-life balance, and regularly communicating the company vision, you will be more successful at retaining your skilled workers for a longer duration.
