American musician Pete
Wentz said “Girls are like apples, the good ones are always at the top of
the tree.” The same analogy can be applied to employees. The good ones at the
top of the tree, can be hard to find and even more difficult to retain.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics only 46% of
employees have been in the same job for longer than five years. The old days of
employees loyal to only one company are few and far between, with a whopping 20%
of workers having been in same job for less than one year. But funnily enough,
those workers moving in between jobs aren’t look for new career paths but
simply for new companies to move too.
With diminishing employee loyalty, the employment process is
becoming increasingly important. Finding the apple at the top of the tree and then
being able to retain that apple can be a tricky process.
5 Tips for attracting
and retaining the best staff:
Create a vibrant office culture
Make things fun. People spend a majority of
their lives at work. Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. Try to encourage a fun and open
culture where people can enjoy themselves. If people are having a good time,
they’re more likely to put in that extra effort. Look at Google, one of the
most successful companies in the world. They pride themselves on their lax
culture and employee satisfaction.
Speak to your employees in their language
I was recently introduced to a great book by
Dale Carnegie - How to Win Friends and
Influence People. One chapter emphasised the importance of speaking to
people in their own language. This idea is important for employers when
speaking to their staff. Stop talking
about what you want. Speak to your employees in a way which resonates with
them. Carnegie opened the chapter with a fishing analogy. He made a good point
in saying that whilst his favourite food was strawberries and cream, fish had
to be baited using a worm or grasshopper. Funny that.
Keep them engaged
Lead your employees don’t just manage them.
Inspiring your employees will keep them engaged and ignite a sense of passion.
If people are passionate about what they do, they’re much less likely to look
elsewhere for new employment opportunities. A survey conducted by CEB
found that one-third of star employees were disengaged in their employment and
were looking for a new job. Providing your employees with new roles and
challenges will assist in keeping them stimulated.
Listen to what they have to say
As Maslow pointed out more than half a
century ago, one of the basic human desires is the feeling to be needed. Listening
to what your employees have to say creates this sense of belonging. Building a
good relationship with your staff is important. It’s next to impossible for
your employees to work eight plus hours, when they don’t care about the
organisation or what they’re doing. Listening to what they have to say also
creates a sense of equality. You will gain respect and it will create a
comfortable work environment.
Respect the work-life balance
It is only natural that employers want to get the
most out of their staff. However it is important to respect the fact that we do
not live to work but work to live. The average Australian will spend 10
years of their life at work alone. So it is important to respect the time
that employees have off. Ensure productivity whilst employees are at work, so
they don’t have to take their jobs home with them.
After all, money only buys happiness up until a certain extent.
A study conducted by Princeton found that people who earned over $75,000
not necessarily any happier than their lower earning colleagues.
Companies should focus a larger portion of their efforts
inwardly. Most do well with customer service and ensuring that the needs of
their customers are satisfied but don’t pay enough attention to the needs of
their staff.
Come and listen to the likes of Jon Lang, CEO of Upskilled
on strengthening organisational innovation for staff retention. For more
information please visit www.akolade.com.au
or call us on (02) 9247 600.
Ashley has lived on Manly beachfront her entire life – she
worships the sun and chases it year round. Having recently finished her
Bachelor of Business in Portugal’s gorgeous capital, Lisbon, she thought that
producing conferences at Akolade would be a great new experience. Ashley loves her new dinner-time
conversation, enlightening people on her research topics!
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