It takes time to get your teams just the way you want them, with all moving parts working together cohesively. So, what do you do when you hear rumors, or flat-out receive notifications, telling you your top talent plans to go elsewhere? If this is happening more than you’d like, learn the warning signs and what you as an employer can do to cut down on turnover of your best employees.
- They feel stifled or unsupported. Top talent wants to grow, financially, personally and in their careers. They want opportunities to shine and move ahead. Have you considered how they feel? Can you do something for them that feels like more than just a lateral move or simply piling on more duties with few additional benefits? Great managers, for example, leave because they feel little career development support, such as acquiring new skills.
- Make sure to check in regularly with your stars, and if necessary, find or create positions to help them advance and foster that growth. Or help them find a way to learn that new skill–they and you will reap the positive benefits of making an investment in their future.
- They have a problem with your management style. The saying, “People leave managers, not companies” does not exist in a vacuum. While you may feel you have everything under control, a 2012 Forbes study found that more than 70 percent of employees they interviewed “don’t feel appreciated or valued by their employer.” You may want to take a hard look at how you do things. Do you micromanage? Dismiss their ideas and problems?
- Do they feel you’d side with corporate rather than support them? Consider altering your approach so you make top employees feel they can work with you rather than around or despite you. Ask a professional to evaluate you and how you interact with your employees. The results may surprise you.
- They don’t get recognition for their work. Yes, you can find numerous articles about certain generations and how they feel they deserve a gold star and “job well done!” for doing the most menial and expected tasks. However, too many employees work extremely hard for little to no recognition of their efforts. If an employee does his basic tasks well, that’s expected. But if he goes above and beyond on a project and helps land a sought-after client, he has earned the right to a little celebration and acknowledgement of that effort.
- Make a point of noticing: Bring the team together to laud someone who’s done something great for the company. Send a note of thanks for a job well done. Take the person out to lunch. Simple recognition goes a long way toward making your best employees feel appreciated…and makes them want to stay and do more.
To find your top talent, connect with PrideStaff Thousand Oaks Ventura County. They’ll help you find the quality employees you need to keep your company going strong.
