Don’t Let Competitors Steal Your Staff!

Recruitment is expensive. It’s not just recruitment agencies and placing ads that cost money. Training new staff takes time and resources. After all of that, you don’t want your best people to be snapped up by your competitors. It’s important to take steps to create a happy, inspiring place to encourage loyalty and retention.

Salary

Paying a fair wage is top of the staff retention list. Everyone likes to feel valued, and we all have bills to pay. If your wages are less than those offered by the marketplace, you’re going to find it difficult to retain employees. You may find that staff use your company to gain experience and then move elsewhere.

This can make it difficult for small companies to compete with large competitors. Fortunately, there are additional steps you can take to deter employees from leaving.

Childcare

One of the biggest problems facing many employees is how to juggle their home life. Parents find it particularly difficult, especially with young children. Providing in-house childcare facilities can ease this burden. For example, providing creches for children below school age. You will need space, trained staff, and facilities in order to provide this. Services offering indoor playground design are becoming increasingly popular within employers.

Flexible Working Hours

Offering flexible working hours will assist your staff to manage their lives better. For many people, the twice daily commute is tiring and stressful. Allowing them to work around this immediately removes stress. Allowing flexible working hours will also allow parents of school children to manage the school run, without a mad dash to get to work on time.

Office Facilities

Research proves that your immediate environment has an impact on your wellbeing. So it’s worth investing in your office space. You don’t have to rival Google and create complex work environments. Start by asking staff what would make their working life more comfortable. Things to consider:

• Larger desks; no-one likes to feel cramped
• Refreshing the interior design
• Breakout areas to allow for brainstorming and informal meetings
• An adequate, well-stocked kitchen
• Somewhere to eat lunch away from your desk
• Entertainment such as a TV or games for breaks and lunchtimes

Option To Work From Home

Increasing numbers of companies are offering employees to the option to work from home. This has many benefits all round. It reduces the amount of office space required and so saves on monthly bills. It also allows employees to avoid the commute and work flexibly. If you’re worried about a dip in productivity, there are many ways you can manage this.

Value

Everyone likes to feel valued. They like to feel as though their contribution is worthwhile and makes a difference. It is, therefore, essential to ensure staff feel a sense of worth. Make sure everyone is included in decisions. When making changes ask for opinions. Everyone should have a voice and be able to contribute to ideas. Set up processes to support this. Thank employees for their work and establish reward schemes. Ensure appraisals are fair, focusing on the positives. Outline clear structures for change and development. Access to adequate training is a good place to start.

Don’t let competitors steal your staff. Invest in your employees and make retention a priority.