The pandemic very likely changed the workplace dynamic forever. More than 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in February of 2022. In this global era of the Great Resignation, employers are concerned about their human capital and are realizing the importance of employee motivation. However, retaining employees who already have a foot out the door may be a bigger challenge than most recruiters can conceive.
Most employees, especially the good ones, may leave due to obvious and apparent reasons, notably low compensation, lesser employee benefits, a toxic work environment, etc. However, recruiters need to dig deeper and examine all the layers of organizational culture referred to in Schein’s Onion Model of organizational culture.
Working to ensure an employee-focused and growth-driven workplace environment may be key to better employee retention. Let’s discuss more factors that could help keep your workforce motivated enough to stick.
Table of Contents
Becoming a Sympathetic Listener
Most employers force their employees to leave by disregarding the importance of an open-door policy. Organizations that foster healthy employee-management relationships are more than likely to improve retention and overall employee motivation.
If resources feel that their direct managers or human resource personnel are inaccessible, they’re likely to look for better organizations that value their time and skills. A good leader needs to develop empathy and listen to their employees’ concerns.
Getting Rid of the Albatross Around the Neck
Unwarranted threats to job security are among the biggest reasons why employees feel they need to seek out better opportunities. An employee who is under the constant threat of losing his or her job can’t perform optimally and will have little to no motivation left to outperform others. Job security is proof that management values its employees and is willing to course correctly in order to retain the valuable human capital asset.
Discuss Compensation
While this may be the most apparent reason for employees to leave, many of them are reluctant to broach compensation outright. Partnering with mortgage staffing agencies assures that you put the right monetary value on prospective new hires and current employees. An employee’s worth might be a lot more than just the number of hours he or she works each month.
Team players, rapport builders, and motivators are also necessary for ongoing growth and evolution. Management should consider such informal soft skills when considering pay increases and bonuses for their most valuable employees.
Add Non-Monetary Benefits
Many employees look for more than a paycheck at the end of every month from their employer. Healthy and growth-centric workplace culture should focus on output and results. Many enterprises offer non-monetary benefits like PTO, scheduled work, flexible hours, and a promise of an ideal work-life balance.
Additional benefits can help boost employee morale and motivate them to put their best foot forward. Recruiters should specifically keep the female workforce in mind as they often get sidelined during both centralized and decentralized recruitment processes.
If an employer has a significant number of female employees, then they can consider special benefits like maternity leave, flexible hours, a daycare center or allowance, and even paid menstrual leaves.
Create Opportunities
More often than not, employees depart an organization because of a dearth of learning and growth opportunities. Recruiters cannot attract the right candidate pool by offering a stagnant career that promises no growth. Accordingly, hiring managers should develop proper career roadmaps for all employees and help nurture their skills through training and development.
Employee retention will automatically improve if they are offered a growth-supportive culture from the outset. Ample opportunities for growth and a clear career path are what most employees are looking for.
Offer a Better Job Role
Often your star performers have peaked in their current role and are looking for a new challenge. Stagnancy is the first turn-off for most employees who seek continual upward growth and mobility. It is critical to understand what every individual is seeking and, if necessary, offer them the opportunity to transition into a role that reignites their passion.
More than half of the workers who quit their jobs this year cite a career pivot as their reason for leaving their current roles. Timely promotions with more responsibility might empower employees to feel more motivated and involved.
Recognize Efforts
Many employers fail to formally recognize and appreciate the efforts of an employee. A cash bonus, a certificate of appreciation, a salary increment, and even a nod of approval can go a long way. Managers should be able to appreciate a job well done in private meetings as well as in team huddles.
Not only does it create a healthy work environment, but also motivates other team members to follow suit. A motivated employee is willing to go the extra mile for the enterprise and is likely to stay with an organization that values them.
