The FIVE crucial steps to keeping hold of your staff
Staff retention can be a big issue affecting business progression and growth, particularly in what is a highly competitive candidate market at present. A settled team (whether in business, sport or otherwise), where everyone knows what needs to be done, will more often than not breed success. As simple as that sounds however, it isn’t always that straightforward.
It’s unrealistic to keep everyone happy. For one, employee motivations differ from person to person, while naturally, people move on to progress their career, relocate etc. But what you must try as an employer, is to ‘control the controllable’ and maximise your chances of holding onto your staff.
Below are some of the more common reasons for people leaving their jobs and the key areas of staff retention that employers often fail to address:
Being Undervalued
Seeing that your role as an employee is a valuable contributor to company success is important. Many employees will put their heart and soul into their work, going that extra mile to succeed and impress. Little or no mention of this effort & contribution can be demoralising and is unlikely to encourage employees to repeat such efforts or even stay with the company. A recent survey found that 49% of employees would leave their current job due to lack of recognition for their hard work, so make sure you recognise achievement and good work within your company, it’s a great staff motivator!
Poor management & leadership
Having management and leadership that you respect and trust is essential in creating a secure, working environment. An employee’s job is dependent on management’s correct decision making so it is important your bosses lead by example and drive the business forward successfully, ultimately filling the work force with confidence. A boss who invests time in both running the business and communicating regularly with their staff, is one that will get the best out of them, increasing staff retention.
Lack of career progression
For the majority of us, career progression is very important. This can take several forms, whether through an increase in responsibility, the development of skills, as well as an increase in salary. The lack of these possibilities within a job, with no end goals to work towards, or simply being overlooked for an internal promotion, can ultimately lead to staff looking elsewhere for new and improved opportunities. So set out a clear progression plan for all employees and make them feel like they are in the company’s future plans.
Poor training
When looking to progress within your career, good training and support is a must in order to develop your skills to a higher level, as well as of course to do your job to the required standard. Little or no training does not allow employees to confidently get on with their job. Having that early support is vital when starting a new job and without it, people are unlikely to hang around long before looking for somewhere with better training.
Heavy workload
It is certainly not unusual for workers to be overloaded with work, often doing the job of two people. For the employer, particularly with a tight budget, this seems like a good fix and saves money on further recruitment. Many workers are keen to impress & naively agree to more and more work. However, in reality, many will reach breaking point as their job interferes too often with their work / life balance and will look to move on to something less stressful. So remember to communicate regularly with your staff, listen to what they have to say and assist in ironing out any workload bottle-necks.
Prospect Personnel are a recruitment agency in Banbury. We deal with permanent Part & Full-time jobs in Banbury and the surrounding area.
Please give us a call on 01295 817669 to see how we can help you with your job search!
