One of the top reasons that cause employees to leave a job is the lack of opportunity for growth. This could pertain to a number of things. Perhaps they are not qualified for the position they eventually want, but they may feel as though their company isn’t trying to help them succeed. Or maybe they feel as though they are no longer growing their professional portfolio. Whatever the reason is, to keep employee retention rates up, you must support their professional growth.
Make a Plan
It’s so important to integrate employee growth strategies into your workplace. When employees see that you are committed to keeping them, they will give you the same commitment. Set a goal that you want to achieve through the outcome of your plan. Whether that is a lower turnover rate, or a higher satisfaction rate on employee surveys, it’s important to have an objective in mind.
In the planning stage, it can be helpful to get external consultants to come and assess your workplace and evaluate your needs.
Commit
Coming up with a strategy is one thing, but then you have to commit to it. Stick to the plan and stick to your word, because if your employees get the impression you don’t care about their development, they won’t care about your company and they’ll start to look for other opportunities.
Hype up what you’re doing around the workplace! If you’re offering to send employees to conferences or educational programs, spread the word. It’s pointless to offer these types of things if you don’t get the word out. If there is a process for having professional development approved, make sure it is clearly communicated to all your employees and they understand the kinds of investments available to them.
Follow up
The follow up part of your plan is just as important (if not more) as the plan itself. Follow up with surveys and interviews with employees. Make sure to survey or interview several different employees with varying seniority and who work in all different departments. It is often a good idea to make these surveys anonymous or have them administered by a third party. This way, employees are more likely to be truthful in their answers, and you’ll get more accurate results.
How We Can Help
The Headhunters can offer services that are related to employee retention. We will work with you to develop a plan, put it into action, and see it through until the very end. We can also administer custom team assessments to give you deeper insights into everything from workstyle behaviours, to leadership qualities, business reasoning and risk reduction.
Start creating your employee retention plan today! Fill out our online form or call us at one of our offices located in Edmonton, Vancouver or Winnipeg to get started!
