Want to Grow? 4 Tips to Engage and Retain Your Best Employees

Do You Want to Engage and Retain Your Best Employees?
If you are planning to grow the business, you had better invest in employee engagement training and be sure your employees are fully committed to do what it takes to help the company get where it wants to go.  Otherwise, you risk losing the top talent required to effectively execute your plans and need to spend far too much time trying to fill empty seats or up-skill junior talent.

In most cases it is just smarter to focus on engaging and retaining your high performers who are currently in place.

Unwanted Employee Attrition Can Be Painful and Costly
Okay, so you don’t want to lose good employees. High employee attrition is one of the top signs of an unhealthy organizational culture.

First, you need to ensure that your culture is healthy enough in terms of leadership and organizational trust and capability to provide the foundation for change.  Then you need to define and shape a high performance corporate culture that aligns with your corporate strategy.

Four Proven Tips to Engage and Retain Your Best Employees
Here are 4 tips to engage and retain your best employees when it matters most.

1. Attract and Hire the Right People in the First Place
   Hire those candidates who will be a good organizational culture fit first, are enthusiastic about your company vision second, and have the right skills and experience third. Be patient and do not settle.

   And believe us, it is worth waiting. A poorly hired candidate will absorb time, effort, and money before they move on. Wouldn’t it be smarter to take the time now and not later on a mistaken hire?

2. Take a Genuine Interest in Your Employees.
   Show that you care about them both personally and professionally. Learn what motivates them and what they like best to do. Recognize their extra efforts and offer them growth opportunities so they feel appreciated for their contribution and can envision a fulfilling career path ahead.
3. Hold Everyone Accountable
   Accountability starts with you. Be sure that you as the boss set clear performance expectations and do what you say you will do. Employees look to you as the standard of behavior.

   The way you handle commitments, no matter how small, becomes symbolic of your trustworthiness and character. And this includes each member of your team.

   If you have a low-performing employee, try to figure out what is wrong and to help them correct course. Until you solve the problem, other team members will notice. Why should they work hard if a slacker is ignored?

   The whole team’s morale can be poisoned if you allow one employee off the hook.

4. Stay Tuned In
   Trust and open communication is the foundation to building a strong team. Each team member needs to know that they can ask questions, offer opinions and suggest ideas for improvement without repercussion.

   Develop a “behavior code” for meetings to encourage a free exchange of ideas and constructive debate.

   People should be able to give and receive feedback in a straightforward manner. Set the stage by welcoming input and accepting criticism with humility.

The Bottom Line
These four tips about how to engage and retain your best employees are basic to a positive environment where employees are engaged and committed for the long haul. To know what else they would value most, simply ask them!

Want some specific employee engagement and retention tools?  Download our Free Employee Engagement and Retention Toolkit Now