As a manager, you need to be sure that your team is making deadlines, meeting quotas, representing your brand, and more. However, as a manager you also need to look out for your team to ensure they remain part of it. Employee retention is important in any industry. If you have regular employee turnover, it is difficult to guarantee a consistent level of customer service or develop a personal connection with clients. As a manager, there are many things you can do to ensure top performing employees stick around. Here are a few tips for managers to maximize employee retention.
Create a team environment. In today’s brand-centric world, it is more than likely that your company has a mission that you and your employees identify with, the “why” of your company, so to speak. Leveraging this mission can build camaraderie among you and your employees. Establishing the idea that you are all part of a team trying to achieve the same goals will foster a more collaborative work environment. Collaboration and a strong sense of purpose will ensure your employees stay more engaged with the job and don’t seek opportunities elsewhere.
Communicate clearly with your employees and make it easy for them to communicate with you. Yes, people want a manager who is friendly and easy to get along with, but more than that they need someone who will clearly communicate their expectations and give regular feedback. Make sure your employees know what you want so they can deliver, don’t make them guess. When giving feedback, also listen to what they have to say. Tell them what they are doing well and what they can improve upon, and ask them if they have any suggestions to improve the work experience/environment. Furthermore, when communicating with your employees, be transparent about future opportunities for development within the company or potential payment increases. To this end, offer employees opportunities to better themselves. Provide training sessions, presentations from other employees, and keep up to date with the most current tools and tech to increase efficiency. Your employees want to succeed, they will appreciate the effort you put forth to to assist them along the way.
Be flexible. You employees have a lot going on both in work and at home. If they feel like they have no freedom in the workplace, they will not remain content there for long. Foster an environment where your employees feel comfortable coming to you when they need to, if they need to come in a little later, or work from home one day. Having a manager who is empathetic to the fact that her employees have other commitments in their life will create a better working environment, and keep employees happy and motivated in the long term.
Reward your employees. If someone is doing a great job, tell them that. As Geoffrey James note in his article “5 Ways to Retain Your Competent Employees,” it is likely a top performer has been working hard and going above and beyond to produce those results. Don’t allow them to think that their effort has gone unnoticed, or is not appreciated. If you are able to reward them with small prize incentives, or bonuses, that will go a long way too. You don’t want one of your top performers to seek employment elsewhere because they were neglected within the organization.
Employee retention is integral in any industry. Not only is it necessary for internal operations, as it's not time effective to constantly be training new employees, but it also provides a level of familiarity to those you do business with. If your employees are unhappy with their situation, they will lack motivation and potentially leave. To keep this from happening and to optimize your business through a positive work environment, make sure you are taking steps to keep your employees engaged and to maximize employee retention.
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