Company culture is often the key factor in job satisfaction, even more so than compensation. Many top performers are willing to take pay cuts to land a job with a better culture, in which they feel respected as professionals and valued for their contributions. While some turnover is simply a cost of doing business, you hold a great deal of influence in retaining your best workers. Create a company employees will never want to leave with these tips:
Show a Personal Interest in Your Employees
Boundaries are crucial in the workplace, especially between management and individual contributors. However, if you only discuss work tasks with your employees and do not know much about who they are as people, it can be disheartening to them, as if the company only sees them as cogs in a machine. Improve your company culture by showing a personal interest in your employees, such as engaging in small talk to learn about their hobbies or acknowledging their personal milestones like engagements or graduations.
Communicate with Transparency
A common source of frustration that makes employees leave companies is a lack of open communication between leadership and employees. If expectations are not clearly stated and tend to be passively implied, it can make top performers confused about where they stand and reduce their drive to succeed. Similarly, if company news is not ever shared with anyone beyond the executives, it can create a culture of distrust among employees. Strive to communicate with transparency – discuss expectations, feedback, and performance evaluations clearly and keep your team in the loop on big picture company happenings.
Practice Flexibility
In a place with a positive culture, there is mutual respect between bosses and workers. In these environments, when employees produce results, managers avoid confining them with arbitrary rules or rigid policies since the employees have shown they are trustworthy contributors and high performers. If you want to prevent employees from leaving your company, practice flexibility as much as possible rather than saying no to requests because “that’s the way it’s always been done.” If you can at least consider requests, such as shifting schedules or telecommuting, rather than giving an automatic no, your employees will likely feel more loyal.
Provide Opportunities for Growth
Even in companies with positive morale, supportive teamwork, and flexible perks, employees will often feel forced to leave to develop in their careers. If you want employees to stay long term, you must provide opportunities for professional growth within your company or they will have no choice but to leave. Focus on internal hires for promotions when possible, and offer regular training or opportunities for employees to take ownership of projects or learn leadership skills, so they feel like they have a future with you.
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