I’ve talked in the past about some of the best ways to ensure that your good employees aren’t leaving your organization. However, one can’t talk too much about this topic, as the backbone of any great business is having a well-motivated and efficient work force. With that in mind, here are four more tips that you should be implementing to ensure that your employees are in tip-top shape and ready to work.
I’ve touched on some of the most important ways already: don’t overwork your employees or they’ll get burned out, show that you genuinely care about them so that they actually want to keep coming to work for you every day, keep them challenged so that they’ll push their boundaries and not stagnate, and ensure that you’re hiring and promoting the correct people instead of passing over your best workers. So, what else can you do to maintain your organization’s work force?
• Create an appropriate “environment” for your business so that you will attract and retain employees that fit your company’s profile. The business atmosphere/ office space should closely reflect the kind of worker that you want working for you. Is your business a strict, by-the-book organization, or is it more laid-back and relaxed? Is the office space open and entrepreneurial feeling? Are there many offices with doors? Or is it more “open space”? Having a clear idea of the environment you want to promote will send more prospective employees to your front door and keep them around longer if they’re a good fit. Your current employees will also be great ambassadors for the atmosphere you promote.
• Offer training to your employees. If you’re going to expect potential workers to come to their job interviews with certain credentials and previous training, it falls to you to ensure that you help maintain and supplement those credentials over the course of their tenure with you. If the initial costs of supplying training to your employees seems exorbitant, trust me when I say that it is well worth the price you pay (and the cost of a high turnover rate can be worse!). More training will keep your employees efficient, make the business run better, and teach your workers new skills that they can carry with them through their lives.
• Be flexible with your employees. If you’re expecting workers to come in early some days, work weekends, answer client phone calls at seven in the evening on a Friday night, then don’t get on their case for being a little late or taking off a little early every now and then. A “timeclock” mentality tends to yield a culture that is less collaborative. Having a flexible job helps employees maintain a proper work/life balance, keeping them well-rested and ready to impress you during the work day. It’s a win-win for you: flexibility builds a bond of trust between you and your employees, helps bring in the best talent, and encourages your staff to work together to find solutions to problems that benefit everyone.
• Lastly, and this may surprise you, don’t take yourself too seriously. If you spend too much time trying to stifle your fun side in the name of “professionalism”, you’re stomping out the heart and soul of your company and your employees. Taking yourself too seriously severely limits you, creates workplace stress, and can cause you to forget who you really are. Be a little playful, have a sense of humor, celebrate successes and learn from failure, and your employees will take your lead.
What other things do you do in your own business to retain your best employees? We’d like to hear them!
