Employee Retention Strategies 

August 2021

In today’s climate it is hard to keep employees, especially with the pandemic. Although the unemployment rate is high, there are plenty of jobs available. Yet there are still a lot of people quitting their jobs at high rates. Why is that? More importantly, how can you prevent it from happening to you?

There will always be reasons for employees to leave their jobs that you can-not control. But with the pandemic, people are leaving their jobs for more controllable reasons like better benefits or to work from home. Hopefully this article can help you gain some insights into how to keep your most valuable employees happy and working for you.

During the pandemic people were used to having the ability to work remote and many enjoyed it due to not having to commute and having more time at home to enjoy family. Working from home is something that some employees are looking for in new jobs. So, giving that ability to your current employees maybe be something that will keep them in their position. Others, however, are still looking to work in person. An option for a hybrid work model maybe the best way to give employees the choice that best suits their personal situation.

People are more likely to leave their jobs if they are feeling over-worked or burnt out. Working from home gave people a chance to develop a flex schedule. This allowed them to work during times that weren’t the basic 9 to 5 so they could take care of family or themselves. Having policies in place to accommodate flex schedules or allow for employees to take breaks and step away will provide them with the time necessary to relieve stress and stay sharp.

A lot of employees are reporting that they are leaving their current job because they are not getting the proper training. People like doing well in their job and feeling accomplished. If their employer does not provide them with the proper training and resources to succeed, they won’t stay in that position for long. With a lot of places still working remote, online training or workshops can be used to improve their knowledge of their position. If you do provide access to these tools, be sure to check in with your employees to find out it was beneficial to them. You do not want to be wasting their time and your money on trainings that won’t help them in their day-to-day tasks.

The pandemic has caused people to look at their current benefits packages. People are looking for good paid sick leave and better health coverage due to the major health crisis that is happening in the world at the moment. Employees are also looking for other benefits like paid time off, parental leave, 401k programs, and casual dress at the office if they are in person.

If you do end up losing employees, the best thing to do before they leave is to conduct an exit interview. This will allow you to understand what they didn’t like, why they are leaving, and what you can do in the future to keep you employees happy and on the job. One good well trained and happy employee is worth more to a company than 10 untrained, unhappy, and over worked employees.