Your bottom line depends on your ability to keep your employees happy so they won’t be lured away by a recruiter with promises of a better job.
Awesome! You’ve hired a great employee. Now, you can relax and celebrate. Go ahead…I’ll wait. After you finish celebrating, you still have some work to do to keep your employees happy. It may seem pretty simple, but the reality is that it’s harder than ever to keep great employees. Why? Because the labor market is extremely tight. That’s why it was hard to find that great employee in the first place. There are hordes of recruiters lying in wait for the first sign of unhappiness in your employee. They are ready to tempt your employees with jobs that have higher pay, better benefits, or other perks. Your best defense is to keep your employees happy from the very beginning.
We know turnover is expensive. In an economy where people can change jobs easily, how do you win the war for talented employees? What can you do to ward off competitors who are trying to poach your employees? These 5 key strategies will keep your employees happy and committed to their work.
1. Show You Care
One of the biggest things you can do as a business owner is to show you care about your team members on a personal level. You’re juggling a lot of responsibilities. I know how easy it is to get caught up in your work and forget to pay attention to your staff. A simple way to show appreciation is making time to connect with them. Ask how they’re doing both at work and at home. You may find they need a little flexibility to care for a family member or to attend a class to upgrade their skills. You might learn that when their job requires long hours, working weekends or nights, it puts a strain on their family. These are things that you can work with them to improve their personal and work life. These days, it’s all about work/life integration and finding a good balance will keep your employees happy.
2. Communicate Your Expectations
Employees who understand how their work is connected to your company’s goals are invested both mentally and emotionally in their work. communicate what you expect of your team. It seems obvious, but often in small organizations, employees have lots of responsibilities. If your employee is unsure of their job responsibilities and their priorities, it’s difficult for them to succeed. Your team needs to understand your expectations to perform well to be happy and productive.
3. Be Open and Honest
Create an environment that encourages employees to be honest without fear of repercussion. Have frequent meetings where your team can offer ideas and ask questions. Also, be honest about the bad news and the challenges your company faces. These conversations can be difficult. Remember, if you’re not giving employees information, they will fill in the blanks themselves. Show you trust employees by allowing them to bring their best to their work. Give them the opportunity to use their own ideas and be creative.
4. Recognize and Reward
A common reason people leave a job is because they feel unappreciated. Recognition and reward are one of the best ways to keep employees happy. Make thanking your team a frequent practice. Use personalized and detailed language about what the employee did and how it benefited the company. This type of recognition provides a huge morale boost. Little things like a handwritten note, a phone call of thanks to their family, or a few hours off after working overtime during a busy season and low-cost ways to show you appreciate what your team does. One caution here is to offer this in ways that matter to your employees. Giving theater tickets to someone who doesn’t like the theater won’t be seen in a positive way.
5. Consider Life after Work
Remember to have fun together. Life doesn’t begin and end with the workday. Create opportunities for your team to bond and have fun together. Having fun together also helps to decrease stress levels from busy workdays. This could be anything from organized company sports teams to informal coffee chats. These opportunities give your team time to get to know each other. When people are connected at a personal and professional level, they become more invested in helping each other, and your company, succeed.
Your bottom line depends on your ability to keep your employees happy. Share what you’re doing in the comments.
If you want to brainstorm ideas to keep your employees happy, click this link schedule a complimentary Insight session.
About the Author
Rebecca Barnes-Hogg
YOLO Insights
Employee Management, Recruiting, Hiring
Rebecca Barnes-Hogg is the founder of YOLO Insights®and author of The YOLO Principle, The Ultimate Hiring Guide for Small Business. Her path to Bombshell Business Woman started 8 years ago when she broke free from corporate with a dream, a cell phone, and a laptop. Rebecca built YOLO Insights®in response to all the frustrated business owners who were wasting time, money, and their sanity hiring the wrong people. She thrives on the hunt for purple unicorns (ideal employees) and watching her clients become more efficient, effective, and profitable when they hire the right employees.
Get Social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest