6 tips to retain staff for a difficult year ahead

1 - Make employee wellbeing a priority
2 - Employee flexibility is still important
3 - Revise your company values
4 - Engage employees from day one
5 - Keep developing your staff
6 - Assess your company culture and EVP

The ‘Great Resignation’ taught us a lot on the motivations behind why people decided it was time to leave their jobs. Now these same lessons can be used on how best to retain staff going into the new year.  

Make employee wellbeing a priority

Employers have a responsibility to look after their employees in more ways than just providing a competitive salary. Taking time to understand employees' needs around working and what they need to maintain a healthy state of mind is crucial if you want to retain employees for the long haul.

Offering employees access to counselling or covering mental health in insurance plans means burnout and stress can be addressed more effectively. An employee who feels like they’re allowed to say when it’s all getting a bit too much and can turn to their employer, will greatly appreciate the support given. This is something money cannot buy. 

With 75% of employees saying their career has been impacted by mental health and 32% expecting no mental health support at work, you can see why support in this area can go a long way to retaining employees.  
 

Employee flexibility is still important

The remote versus office debate continues to persist. It cannot be denied that employees prefer having choice when it comes to deciding between working at home or in the office. Flexibil1ity around where to work will be a key motivator when it comes to retaining staff as well as flexibility on when to work.

Four in five employers agree that employees having flexibility over when and where they work will be crucial in retaining talent. This shows that the overwhelming majority of employers will be following a flexible approach and it’s crucial that you don’t get left behind for your own employees.

When it comes to early-stage interviews, consider the benefits of remote interviewing. This is a feature of Jobtrain's applicant tracking system and it's been a game-changer for our clients!
 

Revise your company values

The stance a company takes on social and environmental matters will become increasingly important this year, especially among younger employees from Gen Z entering the workforce in greater numbers. Employees are now extremely aware and concerned with the organisation they work for and want to be proud to represent them. Employers that are actively conscious of their carbon emissions, for example, will resonate with a large number of their employees and factor into a decision to stay or leave. 

With a third of employees saying they would be prepared to quit their jobs if their employer took no action to reduce or eliminate their carbon footprint, it’s evident this is an aspect that cannot be ignored or taken lightly. In a year that has seen rising global temperatures, this appears to be more relevant than ever and employers have a responsibility to address this. 
 

Engage employees from day one

Keeping employees engaged in their roles will always be an important part of employee retention. In a year that could see many employees looking elsewhere for salary increases, it is necessary that as an employer you keep your employees engaged.

This is where the connections between employees is important. With hybrid working looking like it's here to stay, the time employees spend with each other in the flesh is much more valuable than it used to be. Promoting collaboration and team bonding events can help when it comes to employee retention as they will value the human side of work being prioritised. 

A report by Achievers found that only 20% of employees say they are highly engaged in their job. Engagement is strongly tied in with retention and one aspect that employers can work on is improving company culture by increasing the types of activities mentioned above.

Keep developing your staff

Employers are responsible for their employees' personal development and growth. This is an area that requires real dedication and thought behind it as one broad plan cannot be used for all employees. Not only a common pull factor in attracting talent, retaining employees by outlining how their career can develop, it is extremely valuable to many. 

Development is strongly linked to engagement as the more attention you dedicate to employees' careers, the more engaged and focused they will be. An employee will feel appreciated if it is clear that their manager has future plans for them and this is why constant communication is needed. 

According to a Deskless Workforce report, 62% say they have received no training or education resources to support their career development. This significant majority illustrates how employers can stand out and retain staff. 
 

Assess your company culture and EVP

All of the previous points discussed feed into the culture the employer is attempting to cultivate. If your business has a reputation for working employees to the ground and not listening to feedback, word will spread around, and employees will leave. It will also be harder to attract talent with sites such as Glassdoor often frequented before a potential hire makes a decision.

Having an open working culture where employees can feel comfortable giving feedback will go a long way in retaining employees as they will feel valued and heard.