How to retain your best employees

The rules of employee retention have changed. No longer can loyalty be bought with big salaries, hefty bonuses, and rich benefits packages. Today it takes intangible, non-monetary rewards to create an atmosphere that makes your people feel valued, respected, and involved. It takes a whole new way of thinking. This is the 19th edition of a 20-week special on ideas you could implement to keep those best employees:

19) Respect Your Employees’ Time

In today’s downsized corporate world, employees are being asked to take on more and more. Work weeks are getting longer. Overtime is the norm. Saturdays often include a few hours at the office. Does this workload drive people to look for new jobs? Not if you manage it properly.

The simple fact is that most people don’t resent hard work; they resent unreasonable deadlines, last-minute surprises, and a lack of respect for their free time. If you have a project that’s going to require overtime, let your staff know about it well in advance and let them work out their own schedules to get the job done. What drives a good employee to update her resume is calling her into your office at 3:30 on a Friday afternoon and asking her to stay late that night- when she has theater tickets.

Of course, there will always be times when extra work pops up unexpectedly. Whenever possible, try to stay late yourself on those nights. Your actions will speak volumes in building teamwork, communicating mutual respect, and conveying a sense that “we’re in this together.” Besides, you’ll get the work done faster.

Remember- your employees are first and foremost human beings. Make sure you treat them that way!

What are some ways you and your business are working with your employees to respect their time? Let us know…