STAFF RETENTION
Business owners are talking a lot about how staff are “jumping ship” nowadays, in other words, jumping from one job to another, whoever pays them more, and it does not have to be much! From professionals, like engineers to tradies and right to that person on the floor, the frontline of the business.
Millennials account for a huge number of these departures, followed by Generation X and Baby Boomers. No matter their age, numerous studies indicate that people are leaving their jobs more than ever before.
So, the question is very much “why?” Are they less contended than they were before, inspite of positive workplace changes? Identical studies also found that it was not so much about workers not being happy, it was more about the fact that they felt there was a better fit somewhere else, something better was around the corner that involved challenge and they would be supported and appreciated more. Millennials are constantly searching for growth and improvement, and changing jobs mean they can attain this quickly.
This can be challenging, particularly to the employers who are investing heavily on their staff with training and development and turnover is high and constant.
If you are an employer, self-employed or a mixture, this can be interesting and of help as I’ll talk about some of the top reasons why staff leave and how you may be able to reduce this current day challenge.
Improved prospects
We can understand when staff leave as they conclude that there are more stimulating possibilities like wage increase, more chances for promotions, improved training on the job and a whole bunch of other reasons.
One method of getting around this challenge is to offer more work training possibilities or have frequent interaction between organization and staff about the chances for development or more responsibilities.
In pursuit of flexibility
Workers are looking for more work/life balance nowadays and there is almost an expectation of this from employees. They may be leaving because of the unsuitable or unsociable hours they must do.
Workers are trying to balance their work responsibilities with family life, and nowadays there are higher expectations around being able to achieve a great ‘work-life balance’. Workers may be leaving their jobs because the hours are unsuitable or unsociable, and they are in pursuit of more flexibility.
Flexibility may mean offering them the chance of working remotely from home or maybe for lesser hours per week for example.
Thinking they are not appreciated
This reason is a challenge as it is not quantifiable, but it is generally a reason why most people leave! When staff feel that what they are doing is unnoticed and that there is a lack of acknowledgement, fulfilment in their job and even their value can come under attack.
To overcome this huge challenge, employers must discover different techniques of rewarding staff. Maybe varying types of incentives, challenges and possibly even awards. There is no doubt that the more people are praised, recognised, awarded and thanked for what they do, the more they will happily go above and beyond and the more likely you are to maintain contended staff.
Lack of feedback
Absence or shortage of communication to staff can also mean that there will be no hesitation to look somewhere else for work. This may mean that they hear very little about whether they are performing well or underperforming. Irregular or lack of performance reviews can rob the staff member of being able to present their own feedback.
Communication must be a “two-way street”. When both parties have the chance to give and receive feedback, both parties – employer and staff will feel more satisfied.
Negative Work Culture
Racial or gender discrimination, bullying or cliquey activities is something that should not be currently happening. It must be carefully monitored and immediately dealt with in the best of workplaces. However, they can be very much dangerous and a challenge to identify. Staff leaving may also mean that this type of culture is taking place in the work environment, and it can mean that the behaviors were tough to tell.
Maintaining an open line of communication, guaranteeing that confidentiality will be preserved can be crucial to tackling this challenge.
Vital for staff contentment and retention can mean introducing team building events, socializing, and promoting a thoughtful, respectful environment.
Incompatible position
Another reason why staff may change jobs is that they may find that their abilities are not a fit and that it is unsuitable. This may be that there was insufficient detail in the job description, interviews were not comprehensive, or they were just not fitted enough or incompatible to that specific job.
Employers can get around this by hiring recruitment companies who can determine the best person for the job very early in the piece. This reduces the possibility of hiring the “wrong” person for the job.
Workspace
This is probably not a reason as to why someone leaves their job, however, to encourage open interaction and teamwork, have a bright, clean, pleasant work environment that fosters communication and collaboration and this can also be helpful to worker preservation.
Absence of Permanence
Shift work, erratic work hours, or independent assignments may feel like a lack of permanence to an employee. There are ways around that to make an employee feel that their job is stable.
Appropriate and truthful interaction, acceptance of the erratic schedule and attempting to get the other parts of the job stable can all have a positive impact.
Lack of growth
Whilst staff like to be able to grow and develop, it can also mean that this must extend to the company as well. If they believe that the organization is growing, developing, and expanding, they are more likely to stay in their roles.
This does not have to be about increasing clientele, or products/services. It can be as simple as the organization taking a progressive approach and is constantly looking for chances to improve.
The businesses that staff identify as being adaptable, progressive and looking for new opportunities, manage to do better in today’s staff retention.
Pursuing Challenge
It may very often seem that employees are moving for more money, but studies indicate that they are usually bored, and are pursuing a new challenge. So how will they know that their current employer can possibly provide them with this in their current role?
By frequently communicating and having open straightforward conversations, challenges can be generated through more training, more responsibilities, creation of new roles and titles.
Challenging staff often means that they will push themselves to perform better, providing superior value to themselves and their employers.
Staff are far more likely to remain in the job if they have a greater sense of accomplishment, confidence, and job satisfaction when they are challenged.