After hiring new employees, then comes the job of retaining them. After all, a healthy business is one which avoids high turnover by managing its employees in a way that’s both productive for the company and provides satisfaction for employees. Luckily, there are a few tried and true managing tactics that are sure to help you retain new employees. We’ve put together this list of five:
1. Foster good communication between employees and management.
After you hire a new employee, make sure to check in regularly with him or her. Give the new employee the option not only to get to know the management, but also allow the chance to ask questions or suggest ideas that are then taken seriously. This open communication creates good relationships within the company, which will make an employee think twice before moving elsewhere.
2. Be upfront and reasonable about expectations.
One of the most frequent managerial mistakes: hiring new employees and then never communicating what’s expected of them. This is an especially common mistake in smaller companies, where one employee often shoulders a variety of duties. It’s important to be upfront about what a new employee’s responsibilities are from the start so that he or she feels confident about what’s expected. If you don’t, employees may flounder, causing company goals to lag behind and employee satisfaction to fall.
3. Hire a good human resource staff.
Hiring a good human resource staff will not only ensure the hiring process goes smoothly, it will also help employees stay satisfied once they begin their work. Human resource managers are familiar with the most common employee complaints, and they know the ins and outs of employment laws. By hiring a good human resource staff, you’re essentially hiring someone to increase the likelihood of retaining new employees.
4. Promote from within.
By promoting employees from within the company rather than hiring outsiders to fill new jobs, you’re showing recently hired employees that they have a clear career trajectory at your company. Of course, it’s perfectly fine to hire outsiders on occasion – and often that’s the best option – but if you do it too often, new employees may become frustrated with their lack of career advancement and move on.
5. Provide competitive benefits.
One of the best ways to ensure employee satisfaction: offer a competitive benefits package that fulfills employee needs. This means providing good health insurance, life insurance, and retirement-savings plans at the very least. You might also consider offering additional benefits, including offering your employees extra vacation time, the option of telecommuting, and even flexibility determining their own hours. These benefits will not only boost employee satisfaction, they may also dissuade employees from looking elsewhere for desired perks.