Employees are critical to the success of a company. Without them, a business owner would be left to do all the work and it would make it difficult to grow and expand. But finding, hiring, and keeping the right people in your company can be a challenge. Creating the right company culture, offering good benefits, and even being generous through corporate giving programs can help businesses connect with and keep the right people. Here are six things that can help attract and retain top talent:
Invest in Charitable Causes
The importance of giving back to the community is obvious, but what’s less obvious is how much giving back can benefit your company’s brand and employee morale. When you give back as an organization, it demonstrates that your values extend beyond just creating profits for shareholders; it shows that you care about the well-being of those who are less fortunate than yourself.
Some companies start by implementing a Giving Tuesday campaign to get their company, their customers, and their employees on the same page. It also makes employees feel like you care, which has been shown to improve employee retention rates.
Help New Employees Transition
Help new employees make a smooth onboarding transition. Provide training on company software, policies, and procedures. Give them a mentor or buddy to help them settle in and get the lay of the land. When a company is good at helping new employees get started with the company, they are more likely to keep them for the long term. It shows that the company wants to do everything to make the new employee feel comfortable and at home in their new role.
Make Sure Employees Have the Resources They Need To Perform Well
In order for you to retain your best talent, you’ll want to make sure that each employee has what he or she needs to succeed. This includes technology, equipment, company policies and procedures, training opportunities, and support from other employees. Without these things, your employees will likely look elsewhere for work where they can be more productive and successful at doing their jobs well. It also means being open and honest from the beginning about expectations and what kind of environment they will be working in.
Encourage Employees To Take Time Off
In the United States and Canada, we work longer hours than our counterparts in other industrialized countries. German, French, Danish, and even Norwegian workers work fewer days and hours than the average American. Additionally, most Americans only get up to 7 paid days off a year from their work. The companies that are good at retaining their staff are the ones who encourage time off among their staff.
Many employees and employers are so busy trying to get things done that it seems impossible to carve out any time for vacations, families, or sabbaticals. However, taking time off is critical if you want your organization’s talent strategy to thrive over time. Getting away from daily pressures allows your employees to relax, think strategically about their career goals, reflect on what they would like their lives outside of work to look like, and recharge their batteries so they can come back energized and passionate about their work again.
Be Honest About Your Workplace
While it may be tempting to hide the problems of your company, you can’t expect new hires to be happy if they don’t know what they’re getting into. When talking with potential candidates about your workplace and industry, be honest about the challenges of being an employee there. Provide examples from other employees and how they’ve overcome these struggles—this will show that you value transparency and people’s ability to adapt and grow in response to change.
Recognize and Reward Employees for Doing Good Work
Recognizing and rewarding employees for doing good work is a great way to keep them motivated and engaged. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple “thank you.” Other times, it might be lunch for the team or a bonus at year-end. Whatever form recognition takes, it’s important to have an ongoing system in place so that employees know what they’re doing right and feel appreciated consistently. When you’re trying to keep great talent in your workplace, you must have a way to recognize and reward good work.
