According to a 2008 Yukon Bureau of Statistics Business Survey, “workplaces that demonstrate the value they place in their employees and that put into place policies and practices that reflect effective retention practices will benefit, in turn, from worker commitment and productivity.” Here are some of the easiest ways to adopt employee retention – ideas that will work irrespective of the size, name or brand of your organisation.

1. Hire the Right People

This is done through conducting proper interviews. Do not just ask textbook questions in the interview, but ask about what motivates them, what have been their accomplishments, how their weakness affect their work, what has made them apply for this job, what their aspirations are, and so on. This will not only tell you a lot about the person but also give you a fair idea if his or her passion for work will align with yours. Therefore, when you hire the best fit for your organisation, you will know how to retain them without spending much of your time thinking about effective employee retention strategies.

2. Conducive Work Environment

Work environment is said to be conducive, amongst many other things, when the management knows where it is headed, when the organization has strong ethics and culture, when people feel like they belong there, when they see that everyone is treated just and when communication flows easily. There will always be work-related stress on the employees’ part because of deadlines, client meetings etc. but as an employer you should make sure that it is just temporary and you should not pressure employees too much.

3. Being a Fair Leader

Since an employee is directly working with his manager, the manager is more or less representing the overall organisation image to the employee. It is then no wonder that the employee’s satisfaction level at work depends directly on his or her relationship with the manager. As a company, you should ensure that other high-level workers (aside from company managers) are sound and are also empathetic towards their team members and that they are approachable, and lead by example. This, will in turn, make all employees feel comfortable and happy at the workplace.

4. Giving Them What They Need

Most of the dissatisfaction usually present at work is related to a clear mismatch between expectations. Then, there is also the part where employees feel that their efforts are not being recognised and rewarded well, or the disillusion of how their work is contributing to the bigger picture. There should be clear discussions in the team about what is expected out of everyone, how everything is going to contribute to the company goals and most importantly, efforts should be duly rewarded.

5. Bonding Beyond Work

In formal set ups, there are clear demarcations and hierarchies. People tend to work and leave. There is a formal communication, people talk about the things that are expected out of their designations. However, you should go beyond what is expected and learn to get to know your workers better. Having informal chats, over a cup of coffee, on topics that do not involve client calls or upcoming presentations bring warmth and a humane touch to an otherwise cold, formal relationship.

Employee retention can be helped with these steps. Ultimately, the most important factor is to cater to the happiness and comfort of your employees in order to make them stay. Otherwise, they may just leave the organisation to find a better work environment where they will feel appreciated.