6 Really Simple Ways To Reduce Employee Turnover
When it comes to that niggly little battle of high employee turnover, we know what you’re thinking. Probably.
You’re probably thinking you need to boost their salary, chuck them a few more bonuses, making your business a little more flexible and even give them a touch of extra tuition to let them know you value their work. They’re the go-to methods of keeping your employees happy where they are.
But they aren’t the only things you can do. No no no no. They don’t have a monopoly on the whole employee happiness thing. Not by a long shot. In fact, there is a medley of other ways you can reduce your top talents upping their desks and walking out of your office doors in search of greener grasses.
Of course, you might be wondering why you should be bothered about this. But that’s easy. A high turnover rate is bad for business and that’s because it costs a ton in terms of time and money. There’s the sudden loss of an employee, meaning more work lands on the shoulders of your other employees. There is the cost of recruiting, interviewing, training and tutoring and then the time it takes for them to adjust the cultures of your workplace.
But that’s not all. There is also the fact (that’s right, fact) employees thrive in office environments that support them and help them realize their dreams and goals and all things ambitions.
So, moving on to the best ways to reduce your employee turnover rate – many of which fall under the umbrella of ‘common-sense’ – here are the things you should start doing more of.
#1 Start On The Right Foot
The best thing you can do is pick the best people for your business from the outset. That’s hands-down the best thing you can do.
We’re talking about looking at their soft-skills, getting to know their personality, behavior-testing them and doing a complete competency screening.
Yes, it’s about finding the best person for the job you need doing, but it’s also about finding someone whose personality will fit in with the culture of your office.
That’s the secret to a happy employee. It’s finding a person that is built to thrive in the environment you’ve created.t’s about finding the right person to fill the right spot on the right train – that’s how to kickstart this whole thing.
#2 No More Time Wasting
We know how it goes. You’re the one paying their wages so it’s okay for them to cool their heels slightly when you need to talk to them. But that’s not going to sit well with your employees.
People want to know they are doing something worthwhile with their time.
It doesn’t matter if they are making paper clips or curing the water shortage problem in Gabon, so something as minuscule as keeping people waiting while you finish off your packed lunch or a phone call, or constantly holding meetings that go on for too long without a purpose are going to pummel employee morale. Why? Because it will say to them, “I don’t care about your time.”
#3 Make The Workplace Wonderful
You don’t need to go all Google or Willy Wonka Wonderland, but there are ways you can make your workplace more attractive and fun, and that will go a long way come Monday morning when tired eyes want to travel back to Friday afternoon. Sure, pool tables, ball pits, and fancy canteens would do the job, but so would a new coffee machine that makes incredible cuppas, so visit Associated Coffee Services.
That’s all it takes. Just a little dash of this and that; a bowl of fruit in the lobby each morning, a couple of sofas that employees can use to hold creative meetings, posh biscuits in the kitchen and a food truck stopping by each lunch time. These will all make your business forward-thinking in the eyes of your employees.
#4 Never Ignore Versatility
Finding the perfect fit for the position you have open is not always possible. We know that sucks to hear, but it’s the truth.
That’s why you should always keep an eye out for people that have an innate ability to bring value to almost any role and be epic contributors to your team.
People that are naturally bright, friendly, positive, talented and smart. By having these kinds of people on your team, you’ll find the rest of the workforce is more likely to stay smiling where they are.
The only thing you need to be aware of is, well, boredom or tedium. You need to make sure you can keep them from doing the same old thing, or at least balance this out with other job perks.
#5 An End To The Email Onslaught
So many businesses have a culture whereby employees send emails to each other CC’ing everyone in so that everyone can get the latest minute-by-minute update.
It’s as if this habit has replaced the perfectly amazing face-to-face catch up to keep everyone on the same page. Some employees will even do their emails over the weekend or late on in the evening-slash-night.
But this is less because it is efficient and more because there is an unspoken email-based arms race where employees want to prove they are working later or harder than others.
Don’t let this manifest. Put a stop to it right now. Ban it even. Unnecessary emails are just one of the worst and will see employees get so fed up they leave.
That means no minutely-emails when a face-to-face chinwag will do and no emails at unnecessary hours. Trust us, everyone will be glad you said it (even the people that thought they were getting ahead).
#6 Prevent Cries For Sympathy
Following on from the whole pointless email scandal, another habit or culture you need to quash is the bragging people make; the kind that looks for pity or sympathy or a pat on the back.
We’re talking about people saying they worked late or got in early or gave up this to make sure this was done or anything else that is a cry for sympathy.
This is a tricky thing to do, but you need to stop this behavior, completely, or face a weird feeling of resentment start to creep into your office place.
Working in your workplace should not be a competition. So, if you see anyone starting a pity party, pull them to one side and help them learn how to a) work more efficiently or b) prioritize their to-do list better.
So what are you doing to reduce employee turnover?
