Seven ways to keep good employees

So I recently came across a post on LinkedIn which listed reasons why employees stay in a company. Having been an employee myself and now running a translation agency in London I thought I would elaborate on some of the points highlighted.

When running a business as you grow you are more than likely to employ staff and the more you grow the more employees you will have. With this comes several challenges and when it comes to managing employees there are several pointers you should always have in the back of your mind in order to create a positive work environment and most of all keep them.

1. Pay them well – Some of you are wondering why this was listed first. Some yelling in their minds, pay is not the biggest motivator! Well let’s face it in this day in age with the current economic climate and the ever increasing cost of living especially in developed cities like London, pay is one of the biggest motivators for employees to stay in a company. However it is important to note that as much as you pay your employees well if you don’t treat them well they will eventually leave once they have achieved what they wanted (pay wise).
   

2. Mentor them – Mentoring is a good activity which benefits both the mentor and mentee. For the mentor it is a chance to listen to the needs of the employee and help guide them into achieving their goals. For the mentee it is a chance to learn from experience and get one to one help. Such activities have huge benefits for the organisation as employees and managers develop a better understanding of each other and as a result have a clearer understanding of the organisations needs which are critical for success.

3. Challenge them – As humans we have a tendency to want to solve problems. We want to feel as though we are the ‘man’ and this translates into the work place. As a species we easily get bored and when we feel we are not challenged enough we tend to look for a better opportunity where we can showcase our skills. It is however important for managers not to over-challenge their employees as this may backfire and result in a hostile working environment as well as a contributor to stress for the employee.

4. Promote them – When it comes to staying in a company for years you will notice that the majority of people who have stayed within the same company for more than 3 years have been promoted in one way or the other. You cannot simply expect your employees to stay long when you keep them in the same position without promotion.

5. Involve them in decision making (empower them) – This is very important as not only does this instil a great sense of authority within the employee but your business benefits from valuable insight from the people that are actually carrying out the day to day activities of the company. When employees feel they are involved in decision making they feel valued and who doesn’t want to feel valued?

6. Appreciate them – A simple thank you or acknowledgement goes a long way. When employees feel appreciated they feel a sense of belonging to the organisation and therefore are likely to stay. Simply recognising their efforts and giving credit where it’s due are ways of ensuring your employees feel valued. Incentives such as employee of the month and other benefits are a good way of showing appreciation.

7. Trust them – Trust! The word that makes or breaks relationships. Yes this also applies in work place relationships whether it is amongst employees or between an employee and a manager. If your workers do not trust you they are more than likely not thinking of staying in your company for the long run. When you show your employees you trust them and most of all you make them feel they can trust you, you create a sense of loyalty which will motivate them to stay.

What are your biggest motivators for staying in a company?