Keeping employees motivated – Employee Retention 

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” (Jack Welch).   

Whether you’re a CEO, COO, supervisor, or simply a manager for a branch of a large company, it’s part of your job to be a motivator. Without a person to inspire employees, to not just give them a task, but a purpose, a goal– a potentially strong workforce can become unproductive, or even fall apart! 

When an employee is considering leaving their job, chances are it’s because he/she believes that there isa place where they can be happier, do more, grow more, become more… Why not make your business/company that place for them? (Not to say that any employee’s desires can be a good fit for every workplace, but ideally that would have been determined in the interviewing process.) 

Here are some ways to retain valuable employees:  

• It starts with the interviewing process:  

—Are you asking the right questions to determine whether the candidate is a good fit? (Having trouble answering THAT? Visit Career Nation) 

• Do your employees have a cohesive team to work with?  

—The social environment at work is an important aspect for anyone, but especially those whose job requires them to work closely with other colleagues. Part of a leader’s job in these situations is to make sure that each employee is clear on what is expected of them; and there is a continuous and productive communication going to make sure that nothing is being missed. That way, everyone is more likely to do their job properly the first time, and each less likely to be over-worked.  

• Are your employees being properly compensated for their work?  

—Keep an eye out for employees that begin taking on more tasks or responsibility than what initially agreed to. Money is a big motivator and one of the ways to retain your best employees is to make sure that they are properly compensated. For example, if an employee needs to constantly stepoutside of their job description because they’re “pulling somebody else’s weight”, or simply out of initiative to make the business more successful, compensation should be adjusted OR reevaluate howthe employees’ tasks are divided up and adjust the workforce accordingly.  

• Be accessible:  

—There’s nothing wrong with making mistakes as a boss, but what’s important is being able to recognize and repair them. The best way to know how your employees are feeling is being open to hearing from them. Having a more approachable boss allows employees to speak more freely about concerns AND commendations.   

Taking these tips into consideration can help save your business a large sum of money, just by making sure each employee is satisfied with what they’re doing for you, and for each other. If their role in the ultimate “big picture” makes sense to them, that idea alone can continuously fuel new goals and innovative thinking. 

Written by Marusya Madubuko 

Citations:  

Bin, A. S. (2015). The relationship between job satisfaction, job performance and employee engagement: An explorative study. Issues in Business Management and Economics, 4(1), 1-8. 

Langelett, G. (2014). How Do I Keep My Employees Motivated?: The Practice of Empathy-Based Management. Greenleaf Book Group.