Hiring staff is inevitable and essential. It’s also our business so we know how positive it can be if done right. However, retention is the most effective strategy to keep costs down and maintain productivity levels. Whilst turnover varies from industry to industry, the average turnover rate in the UK is 35%. One way to improve retention is through employee engagement and keeping workplace satisfaction high. So here are our three top areas to focus on when trying to keep those employees happy, switched on and proud to be working with you.
Transparency
This umbrella covers a few areas. Firstly, communication - channels must be open both from the company to the employees and from employees back to their leadership. Having an internal comms team, or failing that, at least a solid strategy can really help employees feel included. Secondly, making sure that staff fully understand the company's vision and mission is vital. This extends to ensuring that expectations are made clear, on an organisation-wide level and on an individual basis. Going in the other direction, it is important that employees have channels and spaces where they can communicate their thoughts and feelings. Surveys, one-to-ones, team meetings and check-ins all provide ample opportunities.
Opportunities
Offering professional development opportunities is not only beneficial to improve the skill level within your company. It also shows investment in people and their long-term success, which is often returned through commitment and dedication. It is important to carry this commitment into your management team specifically. Your leaders set the tone of the whole organisation and when they are sub-par or disliked, the knock-on effect can be enormous. According to Gallup, 70% of team engagement is contributable to managers, so the importance of this cannot be underestimated. Opportunities to be recognized can also be very motivational. Awards, treats for achieving milestones and shout outs of a job well done are all nice ways to recognise hard work. It is important to tailor these to your company's energy and style, to avoid any cheesiness, but when done well, these recognitions can really make employees feel valued.
Respect
Finally and probably most importantly, having respect for your workers and ensuring that it is known is essential. There is no substitute or shortcut for this, so never underestimate the importance of this culture coming from the top. If employees are empowered in their roles and given autonomy over their work, they will be significantly more invested in it. On the converse, undermining and micromanaging will make people feel distrusted, patronised and unmotivated. It can be hard to relax control when the final buck stops with you, but you must trust the people you have hired. It is also vital to recognise them as human beings, with a life outside of the office. Being flexible about working arrangements, remote working, time off and avoiding overtime all allow people to maintain their work-life balance. This is especially important for employees who have family obligations - being asked to put work over family is increasingly intolerable. As more and more workplaces start catering for this, as well as employee health and wellbeing, remaining a competitive employer means paying attention in this area. Offering wellness programs, gym memberships, mental health resources, or initiatives such as meditation sessions or yoga classes is increasingly popular.
The stats on employee engagement in the UK are not great - according to a 2023 Gallup survey, a whopping 90% of UK employees are disengaged from their jobs. Within Europe, only Luxembourg, Spain, France, Italy and Northern Cyprus scored lower. Engagement rates in the US by contrast are much higher, so looking to the states for employee engagement tips and tricks is highly recommended. The small things really do matter and can make a massive difference.
Jackson Sims Recruitment is a property recruitment company operating in the UK and APAC region. Should you be a candidate or client working in property management we have a multitude of recruitment services that can be tailored to you. Please visit www.JacksonSimsRecruitment.com for more information.
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