It can be fairly easy to evaluate the reasons why employees leave with exit interviews and surveys, but what managers should seek to understand is why an employee stays. It is this insight that can help develop strategies to retain employees.
According to an article from SHRM, “Studies have suggested that employees become embedded in their jobs and their communities and as they participate in their professional and community life, they develop a web of connections and relationships, both on and off the job. Leaving a job would require severing or rearranging these social and value networks. Thus, the more embedded employees are in an organization, the more likely they are to stay.”
At Truvelop, we often talk about the importance of two-way communication, but even if a manager has developed a culture that values communication, learning how your employees feel rarely comes without prompting. Managers must be intentional in the questions they ask.
Managers can’t assume to know what makes their employees happy, confident and supported. And these needs can change depending on the composition of the team, workload, personal situations or new goals.
- Even if you already meet with your teams frequently, and you feel like you have a strong relationship with them, schedule pulse checks. These can be done in person, 1:1, or as part of a survey – maybe once a quarter.
- Don’t set them and forget them. Establishing goals at the beginning of the year is important, but frequent reviews with employees are critical to ensuring they have the tools, resources and support they need to achieve them. It is also important to determine if goals have changed because of a change in the company or in the employee’s life. Proactively reviewing progress toward goals can help discover and address challenges before they get out of control.
- Team building is important not only to employee satisfaction and engagement, but also in creating a culture where people feel comfortable speaking up and out. Having conversations around issues or sources of frustration can help prevent a mild conflict from turning into a major firestorm between employees.
- Assign mentors. Depending on the employee’s goals, they may have a steep learning curve or lack the confidence to work toward the new opportunity. When employees have mentors who are not their bosses and serve more as a coach, it can reduce anxiety and boost confidence as employees learn new skills or work towards challenging goals.
When managers proactively take the extra steps to engage employees in meaningful ways, they can gain valuable insights that help improve the employee experience for all and drive retention.
Contact us today to learn more about our modern approach to performance management and development and how it solves for retention. Don’t just take our word for it, see what our Customers have to say.
