As a business owner, there are many things you need to think about. They need to ensure the company is earning enough money for their staff to be paid and themselves. Entrepreneurs must also ensure they keep their clientele happy so their business can profit. However, there is one most important thing, confirming their staff are satisfied.
If staff retention is something you stumble with as a business owner, there are twelve simple steps that successful entrepreneurs have followed during their careers. Let’s take a look at the twelve steps to reduce employee turnover.
THE HIRING PROCESS
Before you begin to worry about maintaining your employees, there is a simple step you must follow. That is hiring the right staff. The interview process is not to see if they can do the job and the tasks they are given. It is also to ensure they are the right fit for your company.
You won’t be able to find someone’s true self in a 30-minute to 1-hour interview. However, you can get a feel for the hobbies they like. Are these hobbies something they can discuss with other employees? Furthermore, you need to get an idea of whether or not they fit in your work culture. If they tick those boxes, you know they will benefit your company.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO LET EMPLOYEES GO
We know this article is solely based on keeping your employees. However, sometimes you need to let the staff go. If you have tried for the last three to six months to keep them in your company and it isn’t quite working out, it may be worth sitting them down and having a discussion with them.
Although this is a discussion many people would rather not have, sometimes it is best for both parties to part ways. Additionally, the employee likely feels the same. Ask them questions about the environment and whether it is for them.
Keeping staff that don’t want to be there and commit to the job can impact the work that gets done for your business and those who work around them.
KEEP UP WITH MODERN COMPANIES
Something many business owners do is make the mistake of sticking to the old times when they were working for a company. However, if you want to keep your staff, you need to find out what other companies are doing who are keeping their staff.
Flexible working hours are a prime example. It is something modern business owners have adopted to keep their staff and you should too. Offering staff to work an hour earlier and finish an hour later is a great way to keep them happy. It could make a massive difference to their working week.
One final thing to mention is to keep up with competitive salaries. Sometimes, it is the wage slip they are offered that could tempt them away from their job.
ENCOURAGE POSITIVE BEHAVIOURS IN THE OFFICE
A positive mentality leads to good behaviour in the office. A great way to ensure this happens is by having a good work culture. People should be able to communicate with other employees during their working hours and be having fun at work. That is why you should encourage them. A positive environment for your employees will improve their work and encourage them to work harder.
REWARD EMPLOYEES
Another thing you should do as a business owner is recognisse people’s hard work they put in. Understand the hours they commit to the company and how it benefits your business. You can reward them in many ways as well. One of those could be an extra day’s holiday. Another way could be to give them a pay increase or a bonus. All of these are great ways to make your employees happy.
HEALTHY WORK LIFE
We mentioned this earlier but offering flexi-time not only makes employees happy, but it also offers them a healthy work-life balance. Give them flexible working hours so they can also enjoy their life after they have finished work. Some people prefer to work earlier so they can enjoy evenings with their family or go to the gym.
INTERACT WITH YOUR EMPLOYEES
This is something many entrepreneurs forget when owning a business. It is essential that you, as a business owner, engage with your employees. Emails once a year are not going to cut it. Ensure you have private one-to-one chats with your employees and ensure they are happy with how work is going. Ask them if they require anything that can help them progress in their career.
EMPLOYEE HAPPINESS IS KEY
If you want to keep your employees, they have got to be happy. If employees are satisfied with the company and where the business is heading, they will likely be content. Therefore, they will likely stay at your company for even longer.
GIVE THEM OPPORTUNITIES
Although some people are happy with just getting by in their nine-to-five jobs, others want to further their careers. Give them opportunities to prove themselves. Maybe even pay for courses for them to learn something new and help their careers. Companies that offer these benefits will likely keep their employees, simply because it is something that not many businesses offer.
REGULAR REVIEWS
Another thing you must ensure when a business owner is giving your employees reviews. Sometimes, an employee won’t see the bigger picture. They may think they are not doing great when they are. This is something that a review can change.
Again, have private one-to-one meetings with your staff and tell them how good their performance is. Make sure they understand how well they are performing and where they can improve.
LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE
Sometimes it is not the employee that could be the issue or those around them. The problem could be the work culture or the place they work at.
If your office hasn’t kept up with modern times, it can be dull to work in. There should be things that are fun for them to enjoy a pool table or a games console they can play on their lunch break. They may prefer to work in a secluded area instead of where everybody else works every day. If you think your office needs a redesign then get the budget together and get a commercial fit-out company to re-design your office and give it that modern touch.
PROVIDE A VISION FOR THEIR FUTURE
Finally, give your employees a vision of their future goals. This is very important when it comes to keeping your employees because you can offer a bright future for them. If they see you understand where their careers could be in five years, they would much prefer to work for your business rather than somebody else’s.
SUMMARY
As you can see, there are many ways to keep your employees happy. You just need to ensure they are satisfied with where they work and help them see a future with your company. All of this is very important when keeping employees so make sure you do this. Giving them work benefits that other companies cannot offer.
No matter what your company is, whether you own a customer service call centre or an SEO Manchester-based agency, staff retention is essential as they are the people who earn you money.
AUTHOR BIO:
Since I graduated from university, I have worked with many blog sites, writing about topics such as women’s fashion, sustainability and business management/development. In my spare time, I try to travel as much as possible. Whether that is in my home country or overseas, embracing the many wonderful cultures that we have around us.
