4 Steps to Reduce Employee Turnover

Few employers can afford frequent employee turnover. This is especially true when turnover results in the loss of a good employee, but all turnover has costs. To reduce turnover, you and your managerial staff need to keep your workers engaged and motivated. Here are some tips you can use to help improve retention and increase employee morale.

Provide Consistent Feedback

Employees perform their best when they understand your expectations and have steady feedback on their performance. Your staff will thrive when they feel appreciated and valuable. This means that consistent, useful, and directive feedback is important for keeping employees motivated and satisfied. For example:

• Ensure you let employees know when they did something well.
• When negative feedback is required, bookend it with positive language.
• Make sure your feedback is actionable – that it either reinforces positive behavior or provides guidance for what you want.

Recognize Employee Efforts

One of the best ways to give inspiration to your staff is by starting an employee recognition program. By recognizing achievements, either formally or informally, you fuel your employees’ desire for success and their motivation to do better. However, you should ensure that your recognition is visible and that it provides something your employees actually want. For instance, getting their name on a plaque or picture on a wall won’t be very motivating in and of itself. Instead, use a gift card or other tangible reward as a tool for recognition and motivation.

Allow Flexibility

Another way to increase employee motivation and retention is to be flexible. By giving your employees some personal freedom, you’ll find that they’re often more productive and satisfied. Flexible arrangements can include offering a variety of shifts that work around out-of-work schedules, allowing employees to work from home, or encouraging them to work on projects of their choice. In other words, try to put the person first instead of the position – your employees will certainly appreciate it.

Trust Autonomy

Along with allowing some flexibility in when, where, and how employees work, it’s also good to allow them to be autonomous with their projects. As employees become stronger and more experienced, you can give them more freedom to choose their work and manage themselves, or more responsibility over larger needs. At the same time, provide support, guidance and feedback for employees that need it. You can also use peer mentorship programs, paired projects, and training sessions to give your strong employees a chance to lead their colleagues.

Turnover can be a huge expense no matter how big your company is. Fortunately, it can be prevented with the right management style and strategies. If you’re experiencing turnover issues at your business, contact Neese Personnel today for help. Our recruiters can connect your company with trained, reliable employees and custom management solutions. Call 405-942-8551 to learn more today.