4 Essential Tips For Retaining Top Employees During The Great Resignation

Low pay, disrespect from upper management, lack of opportunities and minimal-to-no childcare support are just some of the reasons so many Americans are quitting their job.

In 2021, over 48 million people quit their job leading to what we now call “The Great Resignation” and it’s not slowing down in 2022. Nearly 4.5 million workers quit their job in March 2022 alone.

With so many people searching for new jobs, leaders are trying to find ways to keep top employees from leaving their companies.

Here are four tips on how to retain top talent during “The Great Resignation”:

Impactful Onboarding

Retaining high-performing employees starts at the beginning of their journey at your company.

Throwing an employee into their job and responsibilities when they first start can be a miss on the employer’s part. By not giving your new employee enough time to settle into their role, they can start to become overwhelmed and frustrated.

A proper onboarding should give your new employees a full overview of the company and the organization’s values. Good practices include sit-down introduction meetings with their direct team, company culture presentations, job shadowing and more.

Including a thoughtful and comprehensive training schedule during their orientation period, followed by a gradual increase in responsibilities, will allow your new employee to feel more comfortable and integrated within the team.

Quality Benefits, Paid Time Off & Proper Pay

One of the main reasons people left their jobs was attributed to the lack of a comprehensive benefits package. According to Pew Research, nearly 45% of people quit their job due to poor  benefits, including health insurance and paid time off (PTO).

Most employees rely on good benefits for not only themselves, but also for their family. If you are not providing your employees proper benefits, they are more likely to look for a position that will give them the support that they, and their family, need.

Offering competitive pay and paid time off is another component that can be a deciding factor of an employee’s tenure. Increased housing prices and inflation are causing employees to look for jobs that will allow them to live comfortably despite rising living costs.

Reviewing your organization’s total rewards program, including health benefits, PTO, compensation, maternity/paternity leave and other benefits is a great way to start thinking about how you can create a better and more appealing benefits package for your employees.

Effective & Consistent Communication

Lack of communication is not just a problem in personal relationships but can also impact professional relationships.

Managers can void this by properly recognizing employee accomplishments at work, having regular one-on-one meetings with your team and having an open line of communication.

Beyond consistency, effective communication also includes having respect for every employee on your team. This does not mean agreeing with every one of their ideas, but entails that you take their contributions seriously and approach each idea with an open mind. If what they are contributing is missing the mark, provide your employee with quality feedback and use this situation as a learning opportunity.

Flexible Work Options

Offering a fully remote, in-person or hybrid workplace, could be an important factor in employee retention for your company.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work schedules have become a critical factor for employees, as 43% of the workforce had the opportunity to work remotely during the beginning of the pandemic.

Even though remote work has become a desired factor for some, there are still many employees who are content or prefer working in the office. According to a recent study in Fortune, 71.4% of in-office employees support their employer’s decision to return to the office. These conflicting numbers indicate that by remaining flexible to your employee’s schedules, your organization can stand out to employees and ultimately help retain your current workforce.

Ask your employees about what schedule works best for them; you may be surprised by their answer. Consider how your company can adjust to meet your high-performing employee’s needs and make compromises. By doing this, you are not only making your team’s voices heard, but also making it easier for your employees to assimilate their work and personal lives.

—

Retaining top talent can be challenging, but with great employee perks you could be leading a top-notch organization.

Are you looking for reliable talent? Hunter can help.