By Lina Martinez
There are few good reasons not to try and retain your team. It costs a lot more to replace them in hiring and training expenses, for one. You also want to make sure the best talent sticks with you without moving ‘up’ to your competition. For that reason, you need to get future oriented. You need to show them the grass is always going to stay greener on your side.
Set goals with them
One of the problems that a lot of people have in their job is that they don’t see accomplishment in it. Instead, they only see an endless workload they’re forever chipping away at it. Setting goals with your team doesn’t only improve their productivity and punctuate their work-life. It can help them understand the value you place on the work they do.
Mark their progress
You should think about rewards to not only thank them for their efforts but to show how far they’ve come. Even something small like a coin case with tokens of appreciation can have a huge emotional impact. It shows just how highly you think of both loyalty and quality. Besides short-term goals, it’s a good idea to show some appreciation for how much work they’ve done with the business.
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Keep them growing
They’re going to need to work for their own sake, of course, not just yours. Progress needs to benefit them by teaching them new skills and helping to develop them as professionals. Everyone should have a personal development plan in the business, regardless of their position. Besides training, you also need to think about delegation and advancement opportunities inside the business so they get the experience that can help prepare them for the future of their career.
Show you can sail some choppy waters
It’s not all about them, of course. It’s about their environment around them. In particular, many will consider leaving because they’re not sure the business can handle it when things get rough. You have to learn to deal with a crisis in a healthy, responsible way and be able to show that you can make it through some rough patches. If you fail to show your ability to lead, then people aren’t going to treat you as the leader they want to stick with.
Create a community
Another crucial element of a good work environment is the people in it. People want to have good working relationships, but they don’t always form naturally. Team building exercises can be a cringe-worthy attempt when done wrong. When done right, however, they can help foster respect and a common humanity that makes it harder for your team to see one another as the competition and helps them collaborate, giving everyone another reason to stay.
The right company culture and the focus on how both team and individual strength are improved are going to create the best case for your business. You might occasionally have the employee with enough clout to negotiate a better deal for themselves, however, which means you’re going to need to fully understand the individual value of your team members.
