As every successful business leader will tell you, companies get nowhere without skilled employees. Finding great employees can be tough for smaller companies, of course. But even when you hire them, you still need to keep them happy if you want them to stick around.

So, the big questions are: how do keep your best staff happy and improve your retention rates? We’re going to explore the secret sauce of being regarded as an excellent employer, and a company that keeps its best people. Let’s get down to business.

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The people first approach

Never forget that you are only as good as the people you hire. While the temptation might be to put your customers first, the simple fact is you need to put more emphasis on your employees. Why? Because with happier employees, come happy customers. Satisfied staff will provide better service, work harder, and get your business better results. And the result of all that is more satisfied clients and more money in the bank.

Eliminate fear

Everyone makes mistakes - it‘s human nature. Without that process, nobody would ever learn a thing. And if your company culture comes down hard on people that make mistakes, it leads to a variety of issues. The workplace becomes stressful, and people feel under a lot of pressure - they may even conceal their mistakes which will result in a culture of dishonesty. Most importantly, though, is that people will become afraid to take risks. Without risk taking, your business will lack innovation and get stuck in a rut.

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Make it easy

How easy is it for your employees to do the tasks that matter for your business? Get systems in place that enables your staff to work remotely, and give them access to the right workspaces or equipment when they need it. Resource scheduling software can help them book necessary equipment, meetings, or video conferencing. The easier you make it for your staff to work, the more productive they will be where it counts.

Training

Any employee worth keeping will want to progress in their career. Therefore, it is vital that you lay on skills development and training. Not only will this lead to a better-educated workforce, but it also improves company morale in a big way.

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The importance of team

Teamwork is critical if you want success as a business. There should be bonding opportunities, of course, with team days out and the occasional lunch out the most obvious activities to start with. But it’s not just about building departmental teams. All of your business areas need to understand their roles in relation to every other department. When everyone works towards the same goals - and knows their part in the chain - it adds up to a better, more robust business.

A vision

Finally, if you lack vision, there is no chance that people will stick around. Employees don’t need to hear that you are shooting for the stars, but they should be aware of your company goals. Bold visions with a robust strategy for getting there is an attractive prospect for any ambitious employee. And it’s down to you as the business leader to supply them.