5 Bonus Tips to Retain your Very Best Employees

So, my last blog ran a bit long, so here are the five bonus tips for retaining your very best employees I promised you. These are just a few more things you can do to help keep your employees around:

Hand-written notes of thanks

Actual, hand-written notes are almost unheard of in the digital days we live in, which is what makes them so unique. If you appreciate something that one of your employees did (or does) for you, let them know! Yes, reward and recognition systems are great, but nothing can replace the rare and personal note that comes from someone’s hand. I have received several letters of thanks like this during my career, and I kept every one. Whenever you feel down or need a reminder of how awesome you are, take a look at the gratitude expressed for your hard work.

Get to know your employees as people, not just resources

If you lead people, you have an unbelievable amount of impact and influence in their lives. Treating people as mere “resources” to be swapped in and out of a machine is not a healthy way to view the human beings who work for you. Don’t de-personalize the aspects of your job that may not be comfortable for you. Ask questions. Get to know people. Learn about what makes them tick, and build relationships with them. Every person has a life outside of work (and my mantra is that I work to live, not live to work), and the lines between personal life and work are becoming more blurred every day as we continue living through the COVID pandemic. Take the time to care about your team members, and you’ll earn their trust and loyalty.

Ensure everyone has a voice

Some people are quiet and hesitate to share their thoughts or opinions because of fear of rejection, ridicule, or being ignored. Your job is to draw timid people out of their shells and coax them into contributing. Helping introverted people go against their very nature isn’t an easy thing to do (I should know, I am one – although I fake it well that I’m not). However, do everything you can to ensure that everyone on your team has a voice and feels heard. If one or two people dominate the conversation, you need to find other approaches to enable democratization so that everyone contributes.

Allow people to challenge the status quo

If you have a psychological safety culture, this is probably a no-brainer. But, if people are scared to challenge others because “this is the way we have always done it,” then innovation and creativity at your company won’t exist. The best ideas usually come from healthy conflict, and this is only possible when people can safely ask, “why?” The “Five Whys” technique is a common Business Analysis technique to determine the root cause of a problem. Children never tire of asking this question, but as we grow into adulthood, much of that curiosity fades away as people become indoctrinated and complacent. Encourage people to question the status quo – don’t just accept it.

Encourage employees to own their business

The concept of “owning your business” is one that I learned at my current company. I had never given this much thought before, but I like the idea. You are accountable for the outcomes as you build your personal brand when you own your business. When people are empowered to make decisions and move the ball forward in their careers, they become strong and capable leaders. Thinking of yourself as the CEO of your life and profession gives you a new perspective – you’re not just an employee, you’re someone who owns your life and direction.

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed these five bonus employee retention tips. I could probably come up with a lot more; consider this a sneak peek into a future blog series about Innovate Incentives to become an employment destination of choice.

If you missed any of the previous blogs in the Employee Life Cycle series, check them out:

• How to Understand the Employee Life Cycle
• 10 Ways to Attract Potential New Employees
• 10 Ways to Recruit Potential New Employees
• Top 10 Tips for Interviewing Potential New Employees
• Top 10 Tips for Hiring New Employees
• 10 Tips for Successfully Onboarding New Employees
• 10 Ways to Boost New Employee Performance
• What drives New Employees to Grow and Develop?
• 10 Ways to Recognize and Reward your Employees
• Top 10 Ways to Retain Your Very Best Employees

The final installment in this blog series takes us through the final stage of employment when an employee leaves a company for whatever reason (retiring, resigning, or being removed). Come back to read the last blog in this series and get a teaser for the follow-up series.