Great businesses always find, nurture, and retain the best talent. Companies who fail to make this a priority will struggle. They’ll have unhappy employees who are poorly suited to their positions and who are unsure of their roles. Let’s take a look at some common problems and some easy fixes that’ll ensure your business attracts and retains the best employees available.
Is Your Workplace Toxic?
In toxic workplaces, employees tend not to trust management and are hobbled by fear–fear of making mistakes, fear of being reprimanded and fear of being terminated. They’re often unwilling to take creative risks and are most concerned with collecting their paycheck and doing the bare minimum to keep their job. Their emotional attachment to the product and to the company itself is minimal, at best.
Open and honest communication between employees and management–without fear of reprisal or repercussions can go a long way towards remedying a toxic workplace. And there are a variety of 21st century options available to establish and maintain communication, tools like BlogIn, Troop Messenger, Chanty, and Blink. And of course, old fashioned methods of communication like scheduled one-on-one meetings and town halls should never be underestimated.
Onboarding Experience
Having a great onboarding experience gives new hires the chance to eventually take the business to the next level. It gives them a solid foundation which allows them to engage the gifts and skills that got them hired in the first place. A good onboarding experience will make the new hire crystal clear regarding their role and their expectations. Onboarding can involve mentorship programs, top-notch training and a policy of delivering constructive feedback rather than punitive criticism.
Employee Wellness
Ensuring employees in your building are happy, healthy and thriving is easier than you think. Happy employees tend to be productive employees who want to be at work and who want to invest in the success of the business. Providing simple and low-cost perks like healthy snacks, a cappuccino machine and discounted gym memberships will enhance the workplace experience and encourage employees to be ‘all-in’. Remember, too, that wellness isn’t just physical: Mental health plays a significant role in employees’ balance and engagement.
Survey For Employee Feedback
Using surveys is an efficient and comprehensive way for a business to diagnose what ails it. Studying the employee journey can be an important task for organizations to better understand how employees feel at each stage. Survey can anonymously assess how satisfied an employee is, if she’s feeling encouraged or demoralized, if he’s invested or checked-out, if they like or dislike management’s approach and philosophy. If employees are consistently leaving the company, month after month and year after year, a survey can unearth the obvious (or not-so-obvious) reasons why this is happening.
Career Development Programs
Employees want the opportunity to grow, evolve and explore how far their potential will take them. Dedicated employees want access to tools and programs that will lead them to increased pay, better benefits and more enriched lives, both for themselves and their families. Keep in mind: You’ve already gone through the work of recruiting, hiring, and training these team members. While the bottom line cost alone suggests that it’s smart to keep these employees on board, the reality is that they bring more than experience. When prospects and new hires see the opportunities for advancement, recruiting and retention are much easier.
Does Treating Your Staff Well Really Improve the Bottom Line?
“If you treat your staff well, they will be happy,” says Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines. “Happy staff are proud staff, and proud staff deliver excellent customer service, which drives business success.”
Virgin has a track record of retaining great workers and so does Costco. These companies offer real and meaningful rewards to their employees, like raises, earned days off, bonuses, casual Fridays and pathways towards promotion and advancement. Rather than giving it all away, though, companies that prioritize employee experience reap their own rewards as well, like improved employee engagement and productivity, enhanced customer experience, and a better bottom line.
So What Is A Healthy Work Environment?
Healthy work environments are easy to spot. Facebook employees report that they are encouraged to communicate with senior staff and aren’t reprimanded (overtly or covertly) for doing so. They provide free nutritious meals, valet parking, health, vision, dental and paid bereavement leave. Not all businesses can afford these perks, but all businesses can afford to treat their workers as valued human beings and not disposable appendages. The payoff for the business? Profitability, fun, and a business that welcomes and inspires the best of the best.
Keep the data coming and improve your employee experience now!
