Written by Brooke Thomas
You’ve finally acquired a staff that’s capable and talented enough to help your business soar. Now you have to make sure you do your best to keep them around. Ensuring the satisfaction of good employees is not an easy task, but after all of your hard work and effort building your dream team, taking the steps to ensure your company is one that creates satisfied employees will be well worth it. Here are a few tips to help you get started in making your office the envy of the workforce.
- Establish clear company goals as well as the expectations you require of your employees.
A motivated and tenacious team is an employer’s dream come true, but imagine the frustration that team encounters when they lack clear goals or direction. They will leave a company faster than you can complete an onboarding process (which we discuss farther down). Do not mistake autonomous leadership for deficient management. Know the trajectory of your company and let that path define the duties and tasks of your team. A job description that is carefully planned and considered is an important part of establishing exactly what you expect of your new employee and making sure you’re clearly communicating what you expect of them.
- Hire the right people for the job.
In an effort to cover the duties of an employee who leaves, it’s easy to quickly hire someone who may not be the best fit for a company. If you want to hire top talent, take your time. Even though it may be difficult in the short-term, it will benefit your company in the long-term to hire strong candidates from the start. When you make the mistake of hiring the wrong person, it takes more of your resources and time in the long run anyway.
- Fire the wrong people the job and enforce consequences for poor performance and behavior.
You know what bothers good employees more than anything? Keeping bad employees around, particularly bad employees who create a toxic environment. If you’re tempted to keep poor performers and/or difficult staff, remember that your good employees may not stick around. It’s your job to make a positive work environment for your staff. Good employees know that they are valuable and able to get work somewhere that they don’t have to deal with lazy, stressful or hateful coworkers.
- Have a rock-solid onboarding process.
First impressions are lasting impressions. No, this isn’t a ploy to promote a self-help book, it’s simply the truth. Have a strong onboarding process that lasts through the new-hire’s first year. Employees who experience a great onboarding process are more likely to stay at a company. Plus, it’s an opportunity to share what’s important to a company such as values, staff, history, goals and vision. Don’t skimp out on your onboarding process, it’s your chance to introduce your business to new employees and to show them how much you genuinely care about them.
- Create an atmosphere where it’s comfortable to communicate honestly and openly.
Does your staff feel like you care about their input? Find ways to make sure your employees know you want to hear their ideas and concerns. Instead of waiting for annual performance evaluations, regularly offer feedback to your employees. This makes an environment of transparency and honesty where problems are solved quickly. You will find that the more open you are with your staff, the more loyal they will be to you and your business. It’s also important to address rumors or problematic issues directly as they arise and never let them take over.
- Make sure your staff know they are an asset to the company and recognize their accomplishments.
Sure, bonuses and raises are nice, but hearing your boss tell you that you were essential to the success of a project goes a really long way. Tell your employees when they’re doing a great job and show them that you sincerely appreciate them. Make sure they know you recognize that they’re an asset to the team and their contributions are important. You never want your employees to feel their work is insignificant, that leads to burnout. Top talent workers are smart and motivated, they know when they’ve done a great job, but they want you to notice their hard work and effort. If you want to retain great staff, acknowledge their accomplishments and reward them.
- Give them opportunities to get better at their job and move up in the company.
Employees who are driven, want to continue to get better at their job and eventually have a chance to advance. Give your staff the opportunity of continued education whether that be through webinars, conferences or educational classes. This not only satisfies employees that want to keep improving, but it also develops their skills to help your business grow. Let them know you care about helping them develop their career and offer them opportunities to get even better at it.
- Hone in on their skills.
Know each of your employee’s strengths and weaknesses and give them tasks they will find fulfilling and challenging. A talented staff desires to be challenged by their work. There’s a lot of satisfaction in overcoming difficult tasks, so give them duties they need to work through and solve. Knowing their skills will allow you to give them projects that keep their minds interested and stimulated so they don’t become bored and apathetic.
Choosing the right staff from the start is the first step in holding on to capable and talented employees. Of course you have to remember to consider if they have the skills to deliver high performance, but also evaluate whether they have the characteristics that will best fit your team. A candidate with exceptional skills but a poor attitude will not make your team stronger. Following the tips above are a few ways you can find and retain top employees in your industry. Do you have other suggestions on ways you’ve successfully hired and kept skilled employees at your company? Share with fellow business owners by leaving a comment.