Working on this one factor will dramatically improve your company’s retention numbers.
If you’re like most companies, two of your main objectives, aside from making a profit are:
- Retaining good employees.
- Promoting a positive work culture.
This article will outline a few tips and tricks to help you not only improve turnover and improve employee morale, it will also help your company save THOUSANDS in the process.
What Motivates Employees?
So, why should a company spend extra time making employees happy? I mean, isn’t their paycheck enough motivation to keep them coming to work? NO!
Although many employees are motivated by money, that is a feature offered by every other business in America. Work = pay, however, wage is only one piece of the pie.
I’ve listed a Top 5 list of primary drivers for retention in most organizations. Let’s look at a piece of the pie which I think is often overlooked by many organizations. Social motivation.
I recently finished reading the book: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. In it he discussed a study of local YMCA’s and how they tried to improve their gym membership attendance. Their findings showed, “People, it turns out, often go to the gym looking for a human connection, not a treadmill.” People want to belong and feel comfortable in a social circle.
Remember the theme song for the old sitcom Cheers? “Where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” The same concept applies at work. If an employee has no social connections at work, they will never feel like they fit in and will have less motivation to stay.
Encourage Workplace Social Interactions
If you want to increase retention, find ways to help your employees connect with one another. Encourage social interactions. Help them integrate with a team by finding things they have in common, even if that isn’t much more than what they do at work. Employees should feel like their coworkers actually care if they are at work or not. That social circle you help foster will motivate them to keep coming to work.
Here are some suggested timelines and follow-up procedures to ensure your new-hire is integrating well:
- Pre-hire and post-offer: Send the employee a little survey and have them answer a few questions about themselves (i.e. favorite foods/drinks/treats/sports teams/bands/movies/activities/hobbies/etc.) so you and their team can be prepared to meet them and find some common interests.
- 1st day: Their first day should be fun! Introduce them around to their coworkers as well as people who might be helpful to them for one reason or another. Ensure they get some kind of company swag that helps them feel a part of the company.
- If budgets allow, I highly recommend you take the new employee to lunch (or provide lunch for them and their new team). This will provide a venue and opportunity to get to know each other, and let’s face it, a break from training!
- At the end of the day, take a moment to ask them how it went. Ask if they felt like they can see themselves being successful in the new job. Ensure they are clear when they should report back and give them a little insight into what their 2nd day will entail. The first day can sometimes be overwhelming so ensure them that it’s not expected that they memorize everything but that you have confidence they will get the hang of it all soon.
- 1st Week, 1st month and beyond: Have similar conversations at the end of the week, at the end of the month and each month for the first 3 months. Give them opportunities to provide feedback. You’ll never know what aspects of being a new employee are the most difficult if you never ask! Encourage good and bad feedback and thank them for being open and honest. There is always room for improvement and their feedback will be a valuable tool for future new hires.
Working on your company’s social motivation will dramatically improve your company’s retention numbers. And that will make everyone in the organization happier! Testing a few of these concepts within your company is the best way to determine which piece of the pie has the greatest impact for your team.
Jarum Stone
COO
Your Employment Solutions
