Employee Retention Techniques Today – Why do employees leave?

According to the 2018 Retention Report: Truth and Trends in Turnover, one in four employees will leave their jobs  this year to go work for another company; However, more than 77% of employees who quit could have been retained by employers.  The three top specific reasons for employees to leave jobs in 2017 were:

• • Career development- 21 %
  • Work-life balance – 13%
  • Manager behavior 11 %

So how are employers reducing employee turnover?

For one, employees have become more vocal about their needs in the workplace. And for another, employers have wised up to the importance of having good employee retention strategies.

If you want people to do good work, you need to give them a good environment to work in. So, let’s look into a few of the techniques you can implement in your work place today to help retain your employees.

1. Provide Positive Feedback

Everyone loves a bit of praise now and then. If you feel like your staff members are doing well, go ahead and tell them! Even if they’re having a particularly bad week and you need to correct them, make sure your criticism is warranted.

Tell them what they’re doing right and tell them how they can improve what’s wrong.

2. Foster a Trusting Relationship

It is so much better to have employees that trust you, than employees who feel the need to tiptoe around you. However, trust is earned not given. Practice building trust with your employees by letting them in on small decisions (when it’s feasible), and letting them manage small projects on their own.

Whatever can be kept transparent, should be. Be clear about how promotions work. Be clear on what your standards are.

Once they have a clear path to success within the company, they’ll be more driven to achieve it. It’s easier to focus on a clear goal than a vague possibility.

3. Growing Within the Company

Look at your employees as an investment. Nurture them from within and your company reaps the rewards. Offer incentives to learn, train and take on new projects.

Encourage them to continue their professional development by learning within their fields by offering flexible work hours and if you can afford it, funding their training.

4. Encourage Feedback

Be open to real feedback. If you don’t know what you’re doing wrong, you’ll never be able to fix it, right? So keep an open door and encourage your employees to communicate freely with you.

Of course, you are the boss, so it would be good to keep a suggestion box somewhere and encourage them to add their feedback. Very often it might not be you they take issue with. Perhaps it’s a manager, maybe someone’s being a bad leader – this is a great way to get insight into their thoughts while giving them a safe space to communicate anonymously.

5. Encourage Creativity

Most people do not like routine – you’re employees are no different. Give them a chance to challenge their minds, encourage creative ideas and newer perspectives. Not only will your company be better for it – but they will appreciate it as well.

There’s nothing worse than having a boring job. Maybe your line of work doesn’t allow for every day to be an adventure – but at least make room for some adventure to shake things up.

6. Some Work, Some Play

Mental health, work-life balance, workplace isolation – all these things are hot topics right now. If you can afford it, you should consider employing a therapist to work with employees who need it. Talk about mental health and encourage your employees to have a healthy work-life balance.

Add some fun elements to your workplace that allow them to unwind during their breaks. A table tennis table, a pool table, a lounging area, a snack bar – ask them for ideas and incorporate them when you can.

7. Ensure a Healthy Work Environment

Don’t ignore the importance of basics like cleanliness and safety. Be firm about your anti-sexual harassment policies, and make sure you have a strong Human Resources Department to support it.

8. Professional, but Human

While you want to be respected, it’s also important to be human sometimes. This means allowing your employees to be human with you. Be empathetic when you have to, be kind when you can and if you want to be respected, respect your employees too.

9. Remember Birthdays, Festivities and Major Events

Keep track of your employees’ birthdays and the major celebrations going on in their lives. Allow them a day off on their birthdays, or have a mini office party with them. Celebrate Christmas, New Years and other major events with them.

Let work encompass more than just work.

10. Something to Look Forward to on Mondays

Everyone seems to hate Mondays, right? So let’s fix that. If you’ve got casual Fridays, perhaps it’s time you show Mondays some love too.

Maybe Monday is game night, or bring your pet to work day. Get creative and give them something fun to look forward to whenever you can.

11. Add Meaning to Your Work

And finally, there’s nothing that makes employees stray more than a work-life with no purpose. Make your organization more than just business. Donate to charities, encourage your employees to volunteer, have a few separate projects that allow them to use their will to do good.

Not only is this great for their sense of fulfillment, but it’s also great for your brand.

No One Knows Employee Retention Strategies Like Your Employees!

If you still feel like your employees aren’t happy, ask them what’s wrong. When an employee announces their resignation, ask them what went wrong during an exit interview. When you begin practicing new employee retention strategies, ask them for their feedback.

And more importantly – listen to it.

Want to connect your employees through a more interactive medium? Check out Plan2Play – an app designed for you to organize and update all your workers about fun office events and activities in a timely, systematic manner.