As a challenging year draws to a close, your staff may now be re-evaluating their lives. What do they want to change? Are they happy in their role? Do they plan on leaving your business?
As an employer, you need to be on top of your game and recognise changes in attitudes at work to help determine any red flags and ensure your business runs as well as it can, and your employees are motivated and happy.
In previous years, 31st January 2021 has been the busiest day of the year for resignations, and although we face a very different workplace this year, there are still some actions you can take to avoid losing your valued staff.
COMMUNICATE
Communication is key and minimising the boundaries between team leaders, managers and directors have never been more important. By communicating within teams, departments and different levels within the business it can open doors, solve problems and ultimately save money but most importantly by opening that door, a level a respect and trust is reached because people have a voice and their ideas, opinions and concerned are listened to.
UPDATE
Following on from communicating with your team, updating them is just important. Allow your team to feel a part of the company and the journey. Listen to employees as any of them may have the answers or ideas you need to improving the business or launching a new product or service.
NOTICE
In this new decade, people don’t just go to work to pay the bills. They spend more time with their work colleagues than they do their friends and family and therefore being in a work environment that they enjoy and want to be part of is a top priority. This ultimately means the quality of work is higher because people care about their contribution, however, overlook employee dedication and loyalty at your peril.
No one is asking for a huge declaration of appreciation (although who would say no to a holiday in the Maldives?) but a little recognition such as a well done or an email acknowledging their hard work never goes unappreciated.
REWARD
Reward hard work. No one does anything in life for free but not everyone works beyond their job description because they just fancied doing so. People want to impress, they want to stand out and they want to reap the rewards for going the extra mile.
Having a progression structure is a great tool to show employees what they need to do to get where they want to be. It gives them a structure, a mark to work towards and a purpose and ultimately the rewards follow.
RE-EVALUATE
Re-evaluating 2020 wouldn’t hurt, as an employer asking the questions of what went well and what went badly isn’t such a bad thing. The year has been really tough. NO ONE IS PERFECT and everyone has something they can improve on, and there is probably a lot we can learn from the challenges 2020 brought us. Therefore, decide on what you want to achieve and change in 2021. Make sure you SHARE THIS WITH YOUR TEAM, GET THEIR IDEAS and have a cracking year!
Here's to a better 2021!