Retaining Employees Through The Next Year

As 2015 wraps up, are your employees looking forward to another year with your company, or are they keeping their eyes peeled for an escape route? Productivity, performance and company morale takes a hit when turnover is more common than not. LinkedIn identifies a focus on employee retention as a top workplace trend for 2016, and Skywalk Group offers these five pointers for keeping your employees grounded and satisfied in your company:

1.Show a clear path towards growth. While “growth” may not mean “CEO status,” your employees want to know they won’t be stagnating in their position. Whether its opportunities to gain new skills, shift to a different department, or gain flex hours, help them see their role as fresh and constantly evolving.

2.Identify company-specific stressors. Families, financials, and health are causes for stress in employees no matter the industry. Dig past the common roadblocks, however, and pinpoint what components of your workspace trigger anxiety in your employees. Is it a lack of communication between managers and their teams? Workloads that push the boundary of “doable”? Once they’re identified, you can train leaders to address the issues head-on.

3.Increase flexibility. You don’t need to sacrifice efficiency for flexibility in the work place. Overly restrictive dress codes, rigid work schedules, and a silencing of new ideas will make employees feel trapped and ineffective in their role. Survey workers to find where they crave wiggle room, and make efforts to respond accordingly.

4.Consider your benefits package. Again, if you want to keep your employees, give them what they want within reason. A change to benefits doesn’t necessarily mean an increase, but an adjustment to cover the needs of workers across the company.

5.Hire right the first time. During the interview process, too much focus on skill and not enough focus on the candidate’s fit with company culture will land you an employee that’s talented but lacks drive. Conversely, hiring purely for personality comes at a sacrifice of productivity if the candidate simply lacks the needed skills. Striking the right balance is key to picking up an employee that’s in it for the long haul.

At Skywalk Group, we’ll help acquaint you with best-fit candidates that let you avoid the headache of turnover. Start your partnership with us today!