One of the biggest challenges of running an organization is maintaining your employee base or employee retainment. If a company has frequent turnover, it may struggle to maintain its momentum.
Nothing derails a company’s bottom line like having to train new employees frequently, as experienced employees perform better, but only skilled managers can keep employees long-term.
How do you prevent employee turnover? Engaged employees are more likely to have good relationships with customers, and they’re likely to work better with teams.
A lived-in dynamic is something you can’t replace. To keep employees happy, you need to make them feel valued and keep them from slipping into a slump.
Here are a few ways to boost employee engagement and retention.
5 Important Roles of Communication in Employee Retainment
1. Communicating Strategic Decision Making
Do your employees feel invested in the day-to-day decision-making of the company?
If they feel like they’re simply carrying out someone else’s plan, they won’t be motivated to do their best.
One of the best things that a company can do is keep its employees in the loop, whether it’s about major game-changing decisions or minor policy shifts. Making your employees feel like insiders will make it easier for them to invest in the company’s success.
However, this provides some logistical challenges, especially for companies with a large number of employees. One of the best ways is to have an integrated in-office communications system, such as a VOIP or Voice over Internet Protocol network.
This replaces an outdated phone system with a digital phone system that can be used anywhere. And if you asked, is there a free VOIP service? There are even free VOIP software and application options for companies switching over for the first time.
2. Communicating Motivation
A motivated employee is willing to go above and beyond for the company.
While some employees are motivated solely by pay and benefits, it’s more common for people to be seeking some higher fulfillment in their job.
Many employees who don’t feel motivated might quit and raise their employee turnover rate. Still, it’s more common for unmotivated employees to simply do the bare minimum and not give the company the kind of bold ideas you’re looking for.
So how does a company keep its employees motivated? The first step is realizing what they bring to the company and encouraging it.
If an employee is showing skills in a specific area, point it out and give them the opportunity to use and hone those skills.
Let them play a role in determining the company’s direction in those areas. You’ll have employee retainment with more motivation to succeed and a team that benefits from their expertise.
3. Communicate Success Publicly
It’s easy for employees to become disenchanted with a job if they feel like they’re giving their best and never getting anything back.
Employees need to feel the higher-ups value them, and this can be as simple as a thank-you or acknowledgment from the boss once in a while.
However, when it comes to bigger wins – such as the conclusion of a major project or the signing of a big contract – bosses who don’t celebrate appropriately take the risk of massive resignation.
Remember how much it meant in elementary school when you completed a major project and the class had a pizza party?
That instinct for a reward to close out a challenging period persists into adulthood, and the rewards don’t need to be elaborate.
What matters most is that the employees realize you see their success, you appreciate it, and you want to encourage them to keep giving their best to the company.
4. Communicate Feedback
No one looks forward to the annual performance review, but employees must know where they’re succeeding and where they could still use some work.
What matters is how it’s delivered.
Too many companies deliver either generic feedback or focus too heavily on the negative and risk their employees leaving the meeting demoralized.
Proper feedback is usually delivered within specific contexts, focuses on job expectations and responsibilities, and comes with concrete suggestions and ideas for how the employee can boost their skills.
This not only leaves the employee with a positive impression but gives them something to work towards as they enter the next phase of their employment.
5. Long-Term Success
The employee retainment challenge is that you often don’t know there’s a problem until they leave. That’s why it’s important to be proactive. These four tips will help to create a happier and more motivated workplace.
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