Data from Indeed reveals that 76% of employers reported having been “ghosted” in 2021. And 57% claimed the practice of ghosting has increased significantly since the pandemic. To reduce your odds of being ghosted, you will need to retain the high contributors you already have. Here are a few tips that will help you hold onto top talent.
Don’t Tolerate Bad Behavior
Many employers these days are struggling to fill positions. As a result, they resist firing or even disciplining people for absenteeism or poor performance. The thought behind this is that if they let even a bad worker go, they will be even more shorthanded.
Don’t assume that having someone who is partly engaged is better than having no one at all.
After a while, your top employees may question why they are even putting forth any effort when others are getting by with minimal effort. They may even feel as though you are playing favorites and decide to look for work elsewhere.
It’s tempting to overlook problematic behavior when you have staffing challenges. Even so, a “hands-off” approach can actually make the issue worse – particularly if it causes your best employees to leave. So, your first step in retaining quality people is to ensure you do not have one set of rules for them and another for everyone else.
Offer Opportunities for Growth
It’s hard to feel enthused by your job whenever you complete the same duties day in and day out. Accordingly, opportunities for growth are essential in any organization. Those opportunities don’t necessarily have to be promotions either, as even the chance to learn new skills is refreshing.
When offering new challenges, be sure they do not overwhelm those you have identified as high achievers. The goal is to let your best people know they are trustworthy without burning them out in the process.
Encourage Relationship Building
People are more hesitant to leave a job where they feel a personal connection to others. However, that’s something that takes time to develop, particularly if you have a hybrid or remote workforce. To help things along, assign your new hires a mentor on day one. Doing so will ensure your established employees, as well as your trainees, have someone to connect with.
Relationship building isn’t something you should leave only to your managers. Your employees want to feel a personal connection to those at the top as well. So make sure to interact with your associates on a regular basis so they will know you appreciate what they are doing.
Maintain a Positive Work Environment
People are naturally more satisfied with their jobs when they have a positive environment in which to work. Some ways to create an upbeat work culture and increase morale include:
- Allowing workers as much flexibility as possible in performing their duties. This could involve implementing a hybrid work model or permitting reasonable schedule changes from time to time.
- Offering rewards for a job well done. Even a simple “thank you” will go a long way toward making your associates feel appreciated.
- Ensuring your employees have manageable workloads. Just because certain team members are highly capable does not mean they cannot experience exhaustion.
- Making sure tasks actually have meaning and are not just “busy work.”
- Providing an adequate work-life balance.
Take Care of Your Employees So They Will Take Care of You
When trying to retain talent, satisfactory wages and benefits have never been more important than they are right now. But adequate compensation means nothing unless your payroll and benefits are handled efficiently. Here at Abel HR, we can manage salaries and perks so that you can focus on your retention strategy. Schedule a consultation with us today to learn more.
