Dealing with high staff turnover is a problem that few businesses can afford. As a result, any savvy business owner knows that investing in staff retention and creating a welcoming environment is always going to be worth the effort.
It’s also worth taking the time to avoid the well-known reasons that employees leave, such as bad working hours, difficult colleagues, poor pay, and a lack of respect. However, even if you get all of these established issues handled, you might still face issues with staff turnover. This is because, outside of the well-known reasons for staff wanting to leave a company, there are a few hidden issues that you need to take care of…
Intrusive questions
Asking your employees about their family life might seem like you’re just being nice and friendly but, for some employees, it’s an intrusion they won’t welcome, and one they may find so problematic they seek to work elsewhere. Practice a general rule that you will only ever talk about an employee’s non-working life if they initiate the conversation, and never ask personal questions. This rule should ensure all of your employees feel comfortable; the talkers will happily talk, while those who would rather not discuss their family life don’t feel obliged to do so.
IT mishaps
The first time your IT system misfires, your employees are likely to be happy about it— they get to waste a little time or get on with other tasks while it’s fixed.
The 42nd time your IT system fails, the novelty has worn thin.
Glitchy IT a matter that companies should always take seriously, but the impact it can have on employees is genuinely enough to make them consider leaving their position. First and foremost, they’re not going to be able to do their job efficiently, which might mean more late hours than they are comfortable with. Secondly, the fact that the IT system is glitching and you haven’t decided to look for professional computer and network management to actually resolve the issue will make employees feel like you’re not paying attention to their needs. As a result of these two factors, employees might decide they’d be better off at another company, where the IT system works as it’s meant to 99% of the time.
Enforced socialization
A lot is said about “building a great environment” and “having a good rapport with your employees”, but for some employees, they don’t want to be friends with the people they work with. They want to come in, work, and leave— and that’s completely legitimate.
If you force socialization on employees with mandatory day trips or events, then the employees that don’t want to socialize at work are going to be alienated. If they genuinely dislike social events, they will find being required to attend them incredibly unpleasant. After all, they signed up to work for you, and socializing isn't a part of that requirement.
While encouraging employees to socialize is nice, it should never be mandatory. It’s wise to accept that some employees are introverted and will want to keep themselves to themselves.
Final thoughts
Managing staff turnover is an essential component of any business strategy, which means you have to think outside of the box to ensure you’re meeting all of your employees' needs. By taking the time to guarantee you have dealt with the issues mentioned in this post, you’ll be on strong ground that allows you to obtain the best staff retention rates possible.
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