8 Creative Ways to Retain Employees

There are approximately 6.1 million small businesses in the U.S. that need employees. That's to say nothing of the thousands of large businesses that need employees. The thing that they all have in common right now is that they can't find them.

In fact, even if every unemployed person in the country took one of the available jobs, employers would still face a shortfall of around 5 million people. That harsh labor reality makes employee retention more important than ever for all businesses.

If you're worried that you'll lose employees to competitors, keep reading for eight creative ways to retain employees.

1. Mentorship Programs

New employees often feel that their employers leave them to sink or swim with insufficient guidance. In fact, it's one reason why people quit new jobs within the year. This is particularly true if you don't run a meaningful onboarding program.

Mentorship programs can help new employees bridge the gap between orientation and job expectations. A mentor can help new employees understand the internal politics of an organization.

Mentors can also help new employees connect with lynchpin staff members that will help them get things done. A mentor serves as something of a sounding board for ideas and even a safe person to vent to about problems and challenges.

That relationship can help cement a person in their role and improve their overall commitment to the business.

2. Recognition, Part 1

Businesses often ask employees to go above and beyond by putting in extra hours or pushing up deadlines. Yet, those same businesses will often treat that extra work as nothing worthy of note. If you want a great way to undermine any team motivation or morale building, that is how you do it.

When an individual or team goes above and beyond to reach a goal, you must recognize that achievement either formally or informally.

On the formal side, you can provide some kind of tangible reward, like a bonus or a gift card.

Yet, as often as not, a simple acknowledgment or thank you will get you just as much mileage with your employees.

3. Recognition, Part 2

Businesses often focus on goals, sometimes to the exclusion of all else. Yet, goal achievement isn't readily accessible to every employee. Not every employee is on a team that works on a special project, but that doesn't mean that those other employees aren't putting in the extra effort.

For example, customer service lines are often slammed during the holiday season. Those high-stress periods are enough to make a lot of people quit in disgust. That's especially true if all they hear about are the ways that their department failed or screwed up.

Recognizing effort matters when employees don't have other options for distinguishing themselves.

4. Team Building

People who form relationships with their coworkers will often stay with a job longer than people who don't know their coworkers. That makes team building a crucial strategy for employee retention.

There are many team-building activities that can help you help your employees connect with each other, such as:

• Scavenger hunts
• Hack days
• Group games
• Lunch and Learn

The idea is that you encourage a low-pressure situation for people to bond.

5. Advancement Paths

Many employees leave businesses that they like because they hit a promotion dead-end. Either the business lacks clear paths for promotion or the employee simply cannot advance because there is nowhere left for them to advance.

You can take steps that remedy the first problem by setting out guidelines and requirements for advancement. For example, you can make certain skills a requirement for advancement.

If you need more leaders, you can even send people out for leadership development programs.

6. Flexible Schedules

While remote work is the big sticking point for many employers and employees, it's not a practical option for every business or every job. For some roles, a business needs a human being in a specific place at specific times.

That doesn't necessarily mean you need them there from 8 am to 5 pm every Monday through Friday. For example, you can introduce more flexible scheduling, such as working 10-hour days. You can also let employees show up at 9 am and leave at 6 pm.

Assuming it's feasible for your business, building in a little flexibility can give employees more options for controlling their work-life balance. People who feel like they have a handle on their work-life balance are less likely to look for a job where they can get it.

7. Wellness Programs

It might seem almost trivial, but wellness programs can get you a lot of traction with employees. If nothing else, it's a tangible gesture on your part that shows you have some human concern for your employees.

It's also a resource that employees can look to when things are going poorly in their lives. You can offer a wide variety of programs, such as:

• Stress management
• Financial or retirement planning
• Discounts for fitness classes
• Access to wellness apps

You can even poll employees about what kind of program they would prefer.

8. Communication

A lot of business leaders become tight-lipped when big changes come around the bend. That's a terrible strategy for employee retention.

In the absence of reliable information, rumors will take the place of information. If top-flight employees hear rumors that a round of layoffs is coming, they'll look for other jobs and find them.

Good communication reassures employees about what they should expect. It also keeps them in the loop about what changes are coming. When employees trust the information they get, they'll typically stick around.

Leveraging Creative Ways to Retain Employees

There are many creative ways to retain employees, but not every approach will work for every business. You should pick options that will integrate with your business as it currently exists.

For a small business with 20 employees, the practical options are things like recognition, team building, and communication. For larger businesses, things like wellness programs, mentorship programs, flexible schedules, and advancement paths make more sense.

Sherpa Cruise offers leadership training programs for businesses. If you're interested in leadership training for your employees or want more information, contact Sherpa Cruise today.