It’s never wise to take anything for granted in business, least of all good staff.
A quality team member is hard to find. In fact, these days the very act of an employer searching for talent has been labeled as a modern HR war. More empowerment in the workplace is leading to more empowered workers who are ready to trade employers if they’re not getting the treatment they deserve. With over half of the American workforce disengaged from their job and even 42% of big earners in the $75,000 salary bracket looking elsewhere, it’s imperative for employers to make the right move to keep good staff happy.
Here are some critical questions that need to be asked to hold on to your people, and the statistics that show what happens if you don’t.
Did you know that feedback means fulfillment?
Speaking to each other is a vital two-way work street: employees need to be able to speak to managers, and managers absolutely must speak to their team. The more a management team communicates expectations, instructions, and constructive opinions, the happier employees are. Here’s a summary of the key factors modern employees expect from their job:
- A clear outline of what’s expected of them
- Clarity about advancement opportunities
- Constructive feedback
- The valuing of their opinion
- Growth through training
Informed staff are capable and happy ones. The last expectation leads into the next important retention factor.
Are you offering advancement?
A job without progress is a hamster wheel, and the days of that kind of static grind are quickly coming to a halt. A position with no prospects creates a dangerous gap between employers and staff. Only half of modern workers consider their current employer as advancing them, while 56% of HR pros are now looking at improving training and development to improve the experience of their staff.
Globally, employees leaving to pursue a more rewarding work future is the number one reason for departures. Train your staff well and they’ll become more skilled. When they do, promotion is the best way to keep them.
Are you making work rewarding?
Employees don’t expect much more than all of us deserve: basic recognition, consideration of their status and congratulations on a job well done. It has its roots in the fundamental requirements of the human psyche. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs details the must haves for every human being: physiological; safety and security; psychological or belonging; self-actualization; and peak experience needs.
When these are met, employees bloom as people and make sure their workplace blossoms with them. If there’s no pay off beyond paying the bills, a workplace can really make a person feel worthless.
Is your business mission a respectable one?
There’s a core morality at play in the modern worker: a sense of responsibility and a deep interest in exactly what wider impact their employer is going to have. Modern workers place mission, transparency and integrity above all else. If a company doesn’t live up to their stated values, then staff will simply go elsewhere. Once inside an operation that is falling short of what it promises to deliver, almost three-quarters of workers have no qualms about jumping ship for another position.
People want to be proud of their jobs, which means it has to be a place that’s doing something that not only pays for an employee’s lifestyle, but is more so something they can live with.
Your takeaway on giving back
Here’s a quick reminder from Forbes magazine of ways to hang on to top talent, and here’s another great resource for employers to keep an eye on employment trends. No matter how the nature of workplace changes, human nature won’t. It’s basic compassion, gratitude, and attention that will make every member of staff from superstar to starter be glad to come to work.
At Consultis, we’ve been delivering first-class project solutions, technical search, and contract services. Since 1984, we’ve been developing strong relationships with both clients and talent, so everyone finds the perfect fit.