Finding, hiring and keeping great employees is likely never far from the minds of your Middle Market organization’s leaders. But, even though it is a focus, maybe you rely on the same techniques for engaging employees as when your company formed. If you want to stay relevant in the future, your retention efforts need to become smarter and more intuitive.
Don’t Focus On Negative Aspects
When any employee leaves your organization, it can be a blow. Some companies act like it doesn’t matter or treat the employee as a traitor. If your Middle Market firm can objectively understand the reasons behind the departure and keep emotions out of it, you’ll probably learn some startling things.
Stepping Stone Syndrome
Some employees will always be on the lookout for the next best step for their career, more money or the prestige of saying they worked for certain companies. Why not ask smarter questions when they move on?
Take learning opportunities where you can – maybe you can slow down these types of events or make changes that keep you from being a short-term option.
What Motivates Leaving?
Certain times of the year and life events prompt employees to re-evaluate their lives. Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, major life transitions like marriage, divorce, births and deaths can be trying or inspire growth and renewal. Ask employees when they most often think of leaving and let them know you want their true answers. Find out what services or benefits could be useful during these times.
Maybe it would be beneficial to offer counseling or support services around major holidays or transitional times of the year. Perhaps you could rethink your policies regarding leave and support during times of family growth or in the event of tragedies. The beginning of the new year might be a great time for development initiatives, check in programs or health programs.
Benefits, pay and opportunities for growth and development also prompt employee departures. Spend time shoring up these areas as well, but realize they aren’t the only things that spur employees to leave.
How To Foresee And Predict Departures
How often do your leaders talk with their employees about their happiness and engagement? Do you feel your company has a very good idea of what motivates and engages individual team members? Are you frequently blindsided by a departure?
If you see a theme to these questions, it’s how well do you really know your employees and how well do you honestly know how far they are out the door at any given time? You need to truly be in touch with your employees if you want to retain them. What do they want, what do they need, what motivates them, what is keeping them and what is making them want to leave are questions you need to be able to answer.
Regular communication, asking the right questions and being truly open to honest answers are the only things that get you to a real picture of your employees’ engagement.
Employee retention is a vast subject with many subtle nuances. If your Middle Market organization can focus on smarter, intuitive techniques to help communicate with, engage and retain employees, you likely can help your retention rates.
So what’s in the Mighty Middle Market for me? — get it right now at www.Go4ROI.com.