Employee Retention: 6 Strategies to Retain Your Top Talent

10 Feb Employee Retention: 6 Strategies to Retain Your Top Talent

How many times has this happened: You bring in a bright new employee, show them the ropes, and they’re doing well. You start to think, and talk with them, about their future with the company, only for them to leave within a year or two, swept away by another offer. 

Employee retention is so important for your company’s success: Longstanding employees are great mentors, have institutional knowledge, and can keep things running smoothly, plus the resources you invest in them can’t be recouped when they leave. 

Here are six strategies to adopt to keep your top talent under your roof. 

Talk with them regularly.

Regular meetings with employees, not about specific projects but personal discussions about their work, can be beneficial. It’s a chance to see how things are going, what they’re learning, what they like about the job, and where problems might be brewing under the surface. It doesn’t need to be a long or formal discussion, but it should be prioritized and marked on your calendars regularly. Employees who feel seen, heard, and respected are far more likely to stay than those who feel ignored and invisible. 

Offer mentoring programs.

If you’ve got a young employee who wants to learn and grow with the company, make that happen. Set them up with someone whose career path matches what the employee would like for themselves to understand what steps are needed and how to progress to achieve their goals. If there are different jobs within the company that this employee would like to learn, let them shadow someone in that position for a day or two to see what it’s like. Fostering talent and encouraging people to grow where they’re planted will benefit the person and the company alike. 

Acknowledge the victories, no matter how small.

When someone’s done a really good job on a project, call it out. Whether that’s meeting a little deadline or overseeing the implementation of a brand new system, it’s worth taking a moment to compliment people on a job well done. It doesn’t cost a thing, and the person will feel appreciated — and respected. People who feel like their work goes unnoticed can be easily lured away by someone who will pay attention to them. It will also show other employees that they can be praised in public and might motivate them to keep working hard, with the promise of advancement if they want and earn it. 

Offer training.

Some employees will start to look for those proverbial greener pastures if they feel like their skills will waste where they are. They want to be challenged, learn new things, and keep their skills sharp and relevant. Offering access to training and workshops will keep them engaged and excited while staying on top of the latest trends and newest tools, which will ultimately help your company as well. New, innovative ways of doing things can increase efficiency and productivity while keeping employees on their toes, engaged, and excited about their work. 

Encourage the use of PTO.

If you see an employee getting burned out, starting to have trouble, or making more mistakes, encourage them to take a break. They’ve earned their time off and should use it as a way to relax, refresh and regain focus. It’s good to take breaks! And employees who know they can do so without repercussions, that it’s something the company supports and that their manager recognizes their hard work deserves to be protected with the occasional break. They’ll feel empowered to take care of themselves. Jobs in which PTO is hard to use are jobs in which people are often running for the door. Make sure, too, that your employees’ desire to balance their work-life and their home life is supported. Be understanding if someone needs to call out because their child or spouse is sick or if they need to leave early to make a game or recital. People work to support their families, and that should be appreciated. 

Look at the bottom line and be flexible.

Not every employee is motivated by the same factors. Some will start to work less complicated if they find out someone else in the same position elsewhere is making more money. Still, others will start to look around if they learn their position at a different company remotely. If someone seems unhappy or appears frustrated, pull them aside and have a frank, open discussion about it. See what you can do to help them out. Be honest about it: Tell them you want to keep them at the company and see what might need to change to make that happen. 

It’s increasingly rare for someone to stay in one job for their entire working life. But you can keep good employees around longer if you work with them, instead of just demanding they work for you. A little respect and conversation can go a long way! 

Reach Out to LeadingEdge Personnel

When the time comes to find new employees, call LeadingEdge Personnel. Whether you’re looking for permanent employees or someone to help out temporarily on a big project, we have great candidates ready to jump in and go! Call LeadingEdge today, and let’s get to work.