Three Ways to Retain Your Best People

It’s a fact of life that people change jobs more often today than they did in previous years. No longer does someone leave college and sign up with an organization for the next thirty years. But many of today’s workers can’t seem to settle into a job for more than a year or two. How can you entice your employees to stay with your company for the long haul?

 

Why do employees change jobs?

The qualities that make someone a leave a company are often the ones that make them the best employees. Smart, ambitious people will always look for new challenges. Technical people will always seek out companies who are innovating. Being adaptable and able to learn quickly are positive qualities.

 

How can you encourage ambitious, driven employees to stay with you rather than seek opportunities elsewhere?

 

Hire for Fit

Today’s employees look for meaningful work with a company where they can feel like part of the team or a family. Don’t underestimate the importance of culture in keeping people in your organization. Look for those whose values match your own when hiring. Hiring the right people in the first place can go a long way toward retaining talented people.

 

Focus on Engagement

From the first day, show new hires where they fit into the organization. Let them in on company plans and initiatives. People buy into an organization when they understand the big picture. Evaluate your management team. One of the primary reasons people leave companies is because of their manager. Assign new employees to managers who are committed to retention and will keep them challenged and engaged.

 

Prioritize Employee Development

Discuss with your employees what their long-term professional goals are and construct a development plan that will help them get there. Provide training and cross-training and give them challenging work. Don’t give employees the opportunity to get bored. If they know their next career step can be taken internally, they are less likely to look outside the organization.

 

While most people don’t remain with one company for the duration of their career, with some effort you can improve retention, saving you the cost and headaches of replacing employees frequently.  For additional HR tips and best practices, see our related blogs. If you are looking to add additional HR professionals to your department contact the experts at Contemporary Staffing Solutions to get started.