It’s more difficult than ever for businesses to find and recruit quality candidates. When you do find an employee who can drive your business forward, you’ll want them to stay with you for as long as possible. While there’ll inevitably come a point when they leave for pastures new, when that moment arrives will depend, in part, on their experience of working for your company.
If they’re happy working for you, then it’ll be many years down the line.
If they’re not, then it’ll be a matter of months.
If it’s the latter, then you’ll spend far too much and waste far too much time putting together a team that can take your business places. In this post, we’ll run through some effective strategies for ensuring that your employees have no need to look for a new job.
Make New Recruits Feel Welcome
An employee who has a bad start to their new job will be more likely to leave than one who enjoys a positive beginning. Your company’s onboarding process will play a big role in helping new recruits get up to speed with what they’re expected to do, and, perhaps most importantly, feel comfortable in their new surroundings. An employee who feels comfortable at their job will not immediately search for another job.
So don’t just assume that your new recruits will take to their role like a duck to water. Put together a robust onboarding process to make sure they do.
Pay Well — And Give Raises
People find intrinsic value in the work they do, but in this day and age, what really counts is how much money they’re taking home. A business can get away with having lower-than-average salaries for a little while, but ultimately, at some point, it’ll struggle to attract the candidates required to reach the next level.
Pay your employees what they believe they’re worth, and one of the main reasons why people look for new jobs will be deleted. It’s also important to periodically review salaries and to give raises when appropriate.
A well-structured onboarding process also helps new employees build meaningful connections within the company, which can increase their long-term commitment. Beyond basic orientation, it’s essential to provide new hires with the resources and tools they need to succeed in their roles. For example, digital onboarding platforms like those offered by https://sense.hr/, BambooHR, or WorkBright can streamline the process by organizing all necessary documentation, training materials, and introductions in one place.
This reduces confusion and helps new employees feel more supported from day one, setting the foundation for a positive and productive work experience.
Offer As Much Flexibility As Possible
The working world has changed — and the businesses that stay stuck in the past are at risk of being left behind. There are instances when a business can’t provide flexible working conditions, but in most cases, it’s usually possible to allow staff to work from home (or wherever they want) at least some of the time.
If that’s not an option, then you can also consider allowing employees to begin work at their preferred time. It’s a small gesture that has little impact on the business as a whole, but which is highly valued by the employee.
Provide a Professional Pathway
Employees can find enjoyment on a day-to-day basis, but to fully commit to your business, they’ll need to know that they’re going somewhere.
Businesses that don’t offer a professional pathway to their employees often find that they have to continually replace their best staff members, who have moved onto a new company that can offer them the level of job they’ve been looking for.
Value Their Safety and Well-being
Gone are the days when the employer/employee relationship was entirely transactional. Today, employees want to know that their employer cares about their safety and well-being.
Businesses have a moral — and often legal — obligation towards ensuring that employees are kept safe while they’re at work. How you do this will depend on the type of business that you run. If your employees are exposed to hazardous materials or controlled products then it could involve providing your team with WHMIS training; if they work at heights, it might involve ensuring they have quality personal protective equipment to keep them safe.
It’s also important to remember that employees value more than just safety — they want to know that the employer cares about their overall well-being and views them as humans, not a number.
Listen to What They Have to Say
The employer/employee relationship, as with most relationships, should be a two-way street. While it’ll be you who ultimately makes a decision, employees want to see that their thoughts and feelings are listened to. It’s recommended to have a general “open door” policy that allows your team members to speak to you about anything that’s on their minds. Sometimes, the best employees leave because of small issues that could have easily been rectified had a conversation taken place.
Create a Team Spirit
Studies have shown that having friends at work can have a dramatic impact on employee productivity and happiness. Having these kinds of connections at the office is so important that it can make all the difference between an employee staying and moving on.
Sometimes, colleagues meet and naturally become best friends. But that’s rare. Most work relationships are slow-burners that require time and space to become a reality. Businesses can support the development of relationships by providing that time and space. For instance, could you organize regular work get-togethers, or host after work drinks in the office on Friday afternoons?
Provide Realistic Workloads
An employee might love your business and the work they do. However, if they have to do too much work, then it’s possible/probable that eventually, they’ll begin to show signs of burnout. And when that happens, they’ll have to leave your employment not because they want to, but because they need to. You can help keep burnout at bay in your office by giving your employees manageable workloads. While there might be the odd occasion when heavier workloads are needed,
Read the Room
Finally, perhaps the best way to make your business a more attractive place to work is to simply make a habit of reading the room. You can usually tell if your employees like or dislike working for your business, but you’ll need to pay attention. If it feels as if employee morale is beginning to dip, then you’ll know that it’ll be time to take action and inject some positivity. Most employee-related problems can be fixed with a positive, can-do attitude.
