Employee Retention: Boosting Engagement & Hiring Better

WFH was one of the most common buzzwords in the HR space during the last couple of years, but now that the waters have settled, we’re seeing a new trend taking its place.  

The rise of Covid-19 caused a massive shift in HR as ‘Work from Home’ or WFH entered the public consciousness. 

Since then, remote or hybrid work has gone from a ‘nice to have’ perk to an essential workplace requirement for most of the workforce. For many job seekers, the ability to work from anywhere or in a hybrid setting is quickly becoming a significant factor when searching for a new employer.  

With many companies using more remote employee arrangements, employee satisfaction and ownership play an even more prominent role in employee retention than ever before. The global mass resignation is causing people in HR to be wary of their employees quitting, and not without cause. Numbers show that almost 30% of workers were willing to quit their jobs in the last year. 

If you’ve found yourself wondering whether your employees are just doing their jobs until something better comes along, whether they’re happy and engaged, and how you can boost engagement in the face of remote working, you’re not alone. 

We’ve got a few practical tips to help you boost employee engagement and hire smarter

Hiring better and smarter   

Today’s competitive business environment makes smarter hiring a priority for companies who need to find the right employees to drive their success in the long term. After all, recruitment is an expensive process, so it pays to ensure you do it right from the start.  

To secure smarter recruitment, businesses should break down job descriptions into the most critical qualifications for successful performance. By accurately understanding and targeting the specific attributes and experiences these desired qualifications entail, employers can create more efficient recruitment strategies and make smarter hiring decisions that align with their longer-term objectives.  

They should also emphasize objective assessments during recruitment, such as localized psychometrics or simulations that prove candidates’ knowledge of essential skills, instead of relying on subjective evaluations like interviews.  

Your company can use this approach to substantially reduce employee turnover and increase its chances of finding suitable hires and setting them on a successful path toward your business goals.  

Achieving higher employee retention  

Regarding employee retention, the bottom line is that it shouldn’t be seen by your HR practitioners and overall company culture as another rising trend but as a critical strategy to adhere to.  

Effective employee retention isn’t about keeping people against their will but creating an efficient workplace with supportive managers where positive attitudes can flourish.  

Implementing the right solutions to achieve higher employee retention means understanding the main reasons employees leave in the first place. One of the most common reasons is lack of growth opportunities.    

Training & Development   

Many smart companies understand the value of career development resources and how they can go a long way toward retaining employees and helping them feel motivated. However, many companies provide these training materials and resources only in English, even with a globally dispersed workforce.  

While your company’s functional language may be English, going the extra mile to ensure your employees with different native tongues can easily access material and resources that have either been translated or transcreated into their language can make all the difference in making your employees feel seen and valued, as well as making it easier for them to successfully engage with (and learn effectively from) the content.  

Communication  

As we all transition to a hybrid and remote workforce, there is even more emphasis on effective workplace communication. Your managers must create an environment where employees feel comfortable expressing their views and ideas without hesitation. Your leaders should also take the initiative to stay informed on each team member’s workload and overall satisfaction. Implementing a social intranet, internal blogs, or company newsletters can promote a proactive culture of communication, where regular check-ins and constructive dialogues become the norm.  

Piggybacking on the theme from the previous point, ensuring this collateral is translated into the languages of your employees is integral in creating a sense of belonging, respect, and trust. This is a practice that many Fortune 500 companies employ.  

Recognition  

Recognition can be a powerful motivation for employees. Everyone enjoys being appreciated for their effort and hard work, and showing your appreciation to team members who exceed expectations and contribute significantly to the organization is a fantastic way to boost morale.  

Achieving this doesn’t always require an extravagant rewards system — simple yet effective recognition programs can be established even with minimal resources, such as documenting success stories in a shared document or newsletter so everyone can be aware of the efforts made.  

It’s important to take the time to understand the personal goals of each employee. You can tailor your recognition and rewards more effectively by understanding what motivates them.  

Also, recognize all employees, not just those who are perhaps seen to have achieved the most. All employees should feel valued for their contributions and appreciated for their efforts. Celebrate success in a way that everyone feels involved.  

Change Management  

Change is a constant in the workplace, both good and bad. During periods of disruption, such as the pandemic, your leaders need to provide insight and reassurance to your employees. Keeping your team members informed helps ease anxieties and keep the speculation to a minimum, whether through big announcements individually or in group calls or meetings, allowing ample time for questions.  

Your leaders must also be open to feedback and suggestions from their teams. When team members have a say in the process, they are more invested in making it successful.  

It’s necessary to recognize that each team member has unique needs and will respond differently to changes, so identifying those needs and providing appropriate support is key.   

Investing in the right employee retention strategies pays off in the long run. These strategies help ensure that your business has a reliable and qualified team and create a positive workplace culture where everyone feels respected and valued. Taking the time to prioritize employee retention strategies can help increase employee satisfaction, productivity, and loyalty. After all, when someone is content in their job, everyone benefits, and quality employees are hard to come by – treating them accordingly is not just the right thing to do but is also plain smart business.