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It goes without saying that organizations want to build and retain a hard-working workforce, the skill set and hard work of the staff decide the outcome of your project success, therefore unwanted employee turnover is vital to ensure profitability and commercial success.
However, despite following human resource management best practices, organizations often face challenges in deciphering the ideal strategy to reduce unwanted employee turnover.
Decision makers have a responsibility to ensure and facilitate an employee-centric culture, taking into account the long-term goals of the company.
In this article we offer some tips that you can take advantage of when formulating your employee retention strategy, fostering a positive work environment and reducing unwanted employee turnover.
1. Hire the right people
Hiring should never be a spontaneous decision, it requires meticulous planning and preparation to ensure the perfect fit for prospective employees.
A solution to hire more efficiently is the use of the pre-assessment of skills, analyzing and identifying these will help reduce and improve the skills gap by helping recruiters hire the right talent early.
This analysis provides you with a broader vision regarding the candidate and managers can be prepared for the moment of hiring. This activity eliminates last-minute hiring costs and helps you hire better, thus avoiding unwanted employee turnover.
2. Assign the right person to the right job
If staff are unqualified they may feel frustrated, burnt out and delay delivery, if workers are overqualified they may lose interest and feel their potential is not being realized. In any case, the possibility of rotation is high. Therefore, assigning the right person to the right job is important to ensure both employee and customer satisfaction.
3. Optimize workforce utilization
According to a study conducted by Deloitte “42% of employees have left their job due to exhaustion”. Overuse can put employees under immense pressure and can contribute to employee burnout. At the same time, underutilization can lead to disengagement and low morale. Therefore, optimizing employee utilization is critical to harnessing their skills to their fullest potential and retaining them.
Managers need to keep in mind that effective utilization is not just about working too many hours. Productivity must go hand in hand with utilization. Therefore, they must ensure that maximum employee time is reserved for strategic work. Spending time on administrative tasks will not put your skills to good use or bring profit to the company.
Employers can make good use of dashboards to measure and gain a comprehensive view of employee utilization levels.
4. Organize team building activities
Facilitating strong bonds between colleagues has been shown to improve employee effectiveness and engagement. Companies that place a high emphasis on employee retention must place a high value on interpersonal relationships. This is because homogeneous teams result in better communication, lower stress levels, and higher performance.
According to Goremotely , “extremely connected teams demonstrate a 21% increase in profitability.” Also, if employees feel like they've made meaningful friendships in the workplace, they're more likely to stick around.
Therefore, managers must invest in team building activities to promote a cohesive work culture. An example is the buddy system: when a new employee joins, they are assigned a mentor from the same team who is in charge of following the protocols. The Buddy system ensures that the new employee is well integrated into the team and the company. Other ways to empower the team are organizing monthly lunches, informal weekly meetings, team building activities, etc.
5. Offer flexible work hours
In the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, working from home has become the new normal, and a healthy work-life balance is an essential aspect of job satisfaction.
Flexible work hours can be a luxury for specific businesses, but adjusting hours and planning turnaround times gives employees better focus and results in greater efficiency. Studies have shown that flexible work schedules can improve employee well-being.
Additionally, when managers consider the skills and interests of team members while assigning work, it improves employee engagement and productivity. When you take into account the interests of your staff, they feel valued and it motivates them to perform better.
6. Plan training and development programs
The offer of training and development programs demonstrates the commitment assumed by the company. Managers can implement an Individual Development Plan to help employees achieve short- and long-term career goals and improve current job performance. Training facilitates personal growth and allows employees to better contribute and take on more responsibility in the team or even be eligible for higher positions.
Managers can track project progress and assess key employee strengths and weaknesses based on how well they perform tasks. Based on this, they can motivate them to learn new skills and practice on the job. When the workforce feels that their goals and objectives are being taken care of, they are likely to stay with the company longer.
7. Identify the key actors
Every company needs a group of worker bees be diligent in their work. Employees are expected to show up on time and do the job correctly and keep work flowing. To effectively grow your company, you need to nurture and reward the best to maintain employee morale from those who put a little extra into their work.
According to a study the identification of key players increases productivity and strategically improves the business, if it is rewarded, there is a high probability that it will be repeated!
8. Give constructive feedback regularly
Sharing constructive feedback with employees on a regular basis allows them to see themselves from the perspective of the employer. You can acknowledge your strengths and also address areas for improvement. When they know their leaders are promoting individual development, it will increase their motivation levels and ultimately improve retention.
While giving feedback is necessary to help your workforce grow, getting feedback from them is also important. Employee feedback in the form of surveys and individual sessions is essential to share their experience, expectations and make them feel valued.
If something doesn't align with their goals, as a manager, you can work on it and give them more opportunities. Expressing gratitude should also be a part of feedback sessions to recognize your work and efforts.
9. Transmit the objective of the company.
Employees must share a common goal and be aware of where they are going. Goal setting makes it easier for staff throughout the organization to make decisions with both long-term and short-term goals in mind. This process of aligning company goals with employee tasks helps them achieve tangible results.
Additionally, employees are aware of how their work is helping the organization achieve milestones. The company goal or vision should inspire all employees to share it and instill it in their daily duties. Because if your employees don't have a set goal, they will show a lack of engagement in the workplace that will gradually lead to unexpected turnover.
In conclusion…
The workforce is the engine of success of any organization, in the long term, companies need profitability and success to prosper and remain relevant in an ever-evolving market. With an evolved employee-centric culture, employers need to ensure they provide an upbeat work environment to retain their top talent.