How to Avoid Frequent Employee Turnover

Business owners can hire candidates with the right qualifications to fill vacancies, but sometimes new hires don’t always want to stick around. With turnover rate being a concern for most employers, how can you make sure that you hire the right kind of employee for your business, as well as make sure they hit all the qualification boxes in the job description? In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at some effective ways to avoid frequent employee turnover.

Correct Screening

When you’re looking to hire individuals to join your team, it pays to get to know them. Make use of interviews, and use screening measures such as a background check to gather important information about potential candidates, and to gauge how good a match for your company they would be. The right candidate shouldn’t just have the qualifications and experience; they should also fit in with the company culture by displaying the kind of character traits that you value as an employer and company. 

Offer a Competitive Salary

Money is not the number one priority for all workers, but surveys suggest that about 50% of employees consider fair pay the most important workplace value. Employees want to feel that their effort and hard work are rewarded, and if they feel like they are being underpaid, or there are limited opportunities to climb the pay scale, other companies could have a more attractive salary offer and you would risk losing talented team members. 

Allow Flexible Working Hours

Flexibility is one of the most valuable considerations for employees thinking about changing jobs. Research suggests that half of employees would leave their job if they could find a position that offered greater flexibility. 

Today, even before the realities of remote work during quarantine, working in an office from 9–5pm isn’t viable for every employee, and providing more flexibility in terms of location and working hours can help employers attract workers. Flexibility is often linked to achieving a healthier work-life balance, which is a priority for a growing number of employees, particularly millennials. 

Recognize Their Success

As an employer, it’s essential to recognize your team’s successes and to reward industry and dedication. The average employee spends around 36 hours per week at work. If they’re putting in the hours, they’re exceeding expectations and they’ve helped you hit targets, they deserve to be rewarded accordingly. 

Don’t let your team think that you don’t notice the effort they put in, or that you’re not grateful for the success they have brought to the business. Communicate openly, compliment your employees on their achievements, and make sure they feel valued and respected. 

Make It Fun

Employee morale should be a priority for all business owners. If team members are motivated, they will enjoy their jobs, and feel happy at work, which will contribute to higher levels of productivity, and promote good mental health and wellbeing. Try to make the working day fun. Even simple things like hosting a dress down day, planning drinks after work, or providing a free lunch on a Friday makes a difference.

Let Employees Get to Know Each Other

Promoting cohesion, collaboration, and socialization can play an integral role in encouraging employees to stay in their jobs for longer. If people get along well with each other, they have friends in the office, and the working environment is harmonious, they may be reluctant to move on, even if there are greater opportunities elsewhere. 

As an employer, you can encourage employees to spend time together and get to know each other by organizing work lunch and training time where they get to interact with one another productively, or facilitate group events or outings away from the office. 

Allow for Career Development

Many people accept a job with aspirations to climb the career ladder and progress. If many of your employees have been at the same level on the same wage for years without any bonus, you run the risk of their losing interest. 

Encouraging progress will benefit you and your employees in the long run. Offer opportunities to internal candidates, support those who express a desire to get ahead, and recognize the value of training and upskilling your workforce. 

Conclusion

Retaining employees and talented team members should be a goal for all employers. While there are several factors that influence how long an employee will stay, these are just a few ideas to get you started. 

When hiring, strive to recruit members of staff who fit in with the ethos of the company, and who will be loyal to the company. As an employer, you can increase your chances of keeping hold of employees by screening them via a background check, and by creating a harmonious workplace, encouraging cohesion, incentives, and competitive rates.