6 Ways to Retain Top Talent

Recruiting top talent, as exciting as the process can be, takes time and a considerable amount of effort. If done well, you’re making a contribution to the company’s success by facilitating the hiring of talent that will compliment your company’s culture, add value to the open role, and contribute to overall shareholder value. With this much investment into the hiring process, the last thing you want is for the candidate to take the training and learning at your company and move it to another company – potentially a competitor – a year down the line. So, how can you keep top talent in today’s working environment? Let’s take a deeper look.

1. Let The Right Ones In.

You know what it takes to be successful at your company and you know what kind of person can do it. You need to make sure they know it too. To do that you need comprehensive and up to date job descriptions. Vague hiring tactics without clear parameters will produce employees who don’t know how they can help advance your company’s mission and meet your goals. And that’s not their fault. This goes for new hires and for current employees–everybody needs an accurate and updated job description. A place for everyone and everyone in their place.

2. Let Opportunity Knock for Them.

If your best employees can’t see their future growth within the company, or if they hit a roadblock, they will look for answers elsewhere. One way to keep them interested and growing–that benefits both of you–is career development. This can include seminars, classes, work-related certifications, and even degree advancement programs. You can offer to help them with the cost of job-related classes.

Be sure to have a fair and open means of evaluating their growth and a way of recognizing their achievements. The best employees will take pride in their growth and will feel a much stronger bond to your organization.

3. Who Benefits from Benefits?

Sure, salary and job title are powerful motivators but–especially in times of uncertainty–your benefits offerings can really work to keep your most productive and responsible employees on the job. Health benefits are most important and essential to recruiting. Another old standby is help with retirement and matching contributions to 401k savings still have power.

There are less traditional ways to benefit your best that work especially well with the younger segment of the workforce: generous paid time-off; flexible work hours; maternity/paternity leave; and especially today, work from home and hybrid work opportunities.

4. Communication = Trust.

Your best employees recognize that when they do a good job, it’s good for the entire company. When they hear clear direction and positive feedback from management, they develop trust. That trust strengthens their feeling of ownership in the company.

Communicate this trust by allowing employees to do important work without micromanaging them.

Trust builds competence and loyalty.

5. Forty Hours A Week Is Only a Small Part of a Full Life

As rewarding financially, and in any other way their job might be, it is only a small component of your employee’s life. So, for starters, keep regular office hours. Don’t demand unrealistic job expectations of your employees.

Additionally, find ways to share and celebrate life outside the office. Here are a few actual examples from successful companies: feature an avid birdwatcher in your company newsletter; allow employees to recruit volunteers for the local film festival; make t-shirts for a company team in 10k fun run or marathon. Easy and fun.

And always recognize (as your employees do) that this job allows them to have a fulfilling livelihood.

6. Keep Communications Open

Feedback is everywhere these days. Online reviews. Text messages. Web chats and DMs. When your employees don’t hear from you, they get worried. If it stays that way, they may create their own leave you. So, listen. And be sure to give them feedback.

*Would you like to talk about retaining your best employees? *Contact Cisso Bean & Dutch today to partner with skilled HR experts that can help you benefit from a vibrant company culture.