The days when it was common for an employee to spend his entire career with one company are long gone. Some workers seem to change jobs as often as their socks. The result is companies have to spend more time, money and resources to repeatedly train workers to fill the same positions. But there are ways to keep workers with your company long-term. Even if you cannot afford to buy their loyalty, you can use some of these practices to make them want to stay.
• Give them a challenge. There is nothing worse than being bored by your job. If a person dreads coming to work every day and spends his whole time there wishing he was somewhere else, he’s eventually going to find someplace else to be and work. You can provide challenges in the form of a job rotation where employees spend different periods of time working in different areas, by setting specific and measurable goals, or involving them in solving problems that arise.
• Develop their skills. Most people want to improve their skill set and grow in their career. Give your workers opportunities to learn new skills by working in different areas, attending workshops and seminars, or shadowing a manager or supervisor.
• Listen to them. Many workers have good insights into how to improve processes or practices. Do your workers feel comfortable sharing their ideas and have opportunities to do so? Make a habit of asking for input from workers at all levels. You can make them more comfortable with sharing their thoughts by taking the time to interact with them, truly listening to what they have to say, and taking their ideas into consideration.
• Care about them. There is much more to a person than their life at work. Take the time to get to know your workers. Find out about their families and hobbies. Show an interest in their well being, not just their
work production levels. It’s critical to help employees feel needed and acknowledged if you want them to feel loyal.
• Recognize their contributions. Workers are the backbone of every company. Unfortunately, many managers seem to forget this. If someone does not feel like their work is being noticed and appreciated, he will eventually look for a job where he feels his contribution is important. Make a habit of voicing your appreciation for the work your employees do. Be specific in your praise because behavior that is rewarded will likely be repeated.
• Give employees more responsibility. Workers who are not given increased responsibility over time will often view their position as a dead-end job with no room for advancement. If their current company is not offering them opportunities for advancement, they will look for it elsewhere.
• Be trustworthy. Always keep commitments and promises you make to your workers and admit mistakes when you make them – especially if it is one that affects your workers. If your workers don’t trust you, they won’t respect you. And no one likes to work for someone they don’t respect.
• Respect them. Everyone wants to feel respected as a person, especially by the people they spend every day working with. One of the most important ways you can do this is to never demean, speak disparagingly about, or embarrass an employee in front of other workers.
