8 Employee Retention Strategies to Retain Top Talent
Replacing employees is expensive, plain and simple. Regardless of business size, industry studies show the total cost of losing an employee can range from 1.5-2X the employee’s annual salary. Which is why you need a tool belt of solid employee retention strategies. we’ve put together a list of 8 sure-fire employee retention strategies that will help you re-engage and keep your top performers.
1. Find why people are leaving (and then fix it)
When it comes to retention, the details matter. Has more than one person quit because they weren’t being treated fairly? Is your company being priced out by a competitor? Have the majority of those lost been low performers? This type of information can be obtained through exit interviews, and honest conversations with current employees.
Beyond exit interviews, businesses must be proactive in their efforts to retain top talent. Engagement surveys allow companies to measure employee sentiment and get ahead of turnover by keeping a pulse on its warning signs. One caveat? If you’re going to solicit feedback, you have to act on it.
2. Create a world-class onboarding process
Make sure there’s a solid plan in place for new hire’s first 30 days, especially day one. Whether it’s a small gift, team breakfast, or personal note from the company founder, do whatever it takes to make a new employee feel welcomed and part of the team as early as possible.
Considering the tie between employee loneliness and turnover, these small acts of kindness and inclusion will pay dividends in the long run.
3. Tie employee work to greater company initiatives
With 93% of employees unable to tie their day-to-day work to organizational goals, it’s no surprise disengagement and turnover are on the rise.
When employees can’t see their impact on a business, it reduces meaning, and productivity, among other things. To re-connect employee’s to their sense of purpose, try re-imagining your goal-setting process using the OKR method, goal management software, or both.
4. Ensure managers give positive feedback
Even the best managers forget to verbalize what their direct reports are doing well. This simple act boosts employee confidence and builds the trust needed for when constructive feedback is necessary.
To increase recognition-driven engagement, try enhancing your recognition and rewards program.
5. Communicate the shared vision
People feel engaged, valued, and loyal when they’re in the know. As much as possible, allow employees from all levels in your company to know where you’re going, and how you’ll get there.
6. Perform regular compensation analyses
Pay is not #1 on the job candidate’s priority lists, but we’d be lying if we said it didn’t matter. In order to retain quality employees, compensation plans need to not only be fair, but competitive. If you’re not already doing annual compensation analyses, now is a good time to start.
7. Offer learning and development opportunities
Access to growth opportunities is the fastest-growing reason people leave jobs. In 2018, 61% of job seekers ranked career growth as most important when looking for new opportunities. (For younger workers, it’s 65%.)
8. Stay on top of trends
There are environmental factors at play that we have absolutely no control over, and unfortunately, they affect our retention anyway. To execute successful employee retention strategies, it’s important to be aware of the ways in which the world of work is changing, and to adapt accordingly.
References:
https://www.worktango.com/resources/articles/employee-retention-strategies?utm_source=snacknation&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=top-hr-blog&utm_content=retention-strategies