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Guide to Keeping Good Employees

Develop loyalty and you'll be rewarded with long-term, career employees

By Jenni Simcoe, Writer


Your company is only as good as your employees. A staff that's exceptional in teamwork, customer service and selling can help take your business to the top. When you've got great workers, the last thing you want to see is a mass exodus or even a single departure. To hang on to your star employees, you need to create a positive workplace environment that encourages career growth and personal development. Retaining good employees can:
  1. Keep morale high.
  2. Maintain momentum.
  3. Avoid losses in productivity during transition periods.
  4. Allow you to maintain focus on growing your business.
  5. Save time and money on training and recruiting.
  6. Create continuity in the workplace.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done


Create a positive workplace

Nothing scares away productive people as much as conflict so keep the atmosphere harmonious.
I recommend: A positive workplace starts from the top. Enroll yourself and your managers in training courses on creating a positive workplace and equip managers with the skills necessary to encourage positive behaviors. Get additional training from employee retention consultants at Employee Retention Headquarters.

Clarify responsibilities and expectations

For employees to thrive in their jobs, they need to understand the scope of their responsibilities and the expectations associated with their position. Ensure that employees have a clear understanding of their role by providing them with a job description and revisit that job description with them as their role changes and grows.
I recommend: Learn how to write a job description at BusinessKnowHow.com or at Business.gov. For a variety of sample job descriptions, check out businessballs.com.

Provide support

If smart, hard-working employees feel that they don't have the right tools or the proper training to be successful, chances are they'll leave. Enable your employees to do their job and improve their skills with continued education and training.
I recommend: TrainingMag.com's Business Training Library offers more than 6,000 video, DVD, CD-ROM and online training courses as well as custom e-learning solutions. The National Center for Continuing Education provides professional seminars across the country.

Offer perks

Even though you may not be able to match a mega-corporation's stock options and pension plan, you can offer creative perks such as family time, wellness programs and flex time.
I recommend: Try some of these perks, uncommon benefits and employee discounts to keep workers on board without breaking the bank.

Raise the ceiling

Make room for each employee to experience professional growth as your company expands. By creating a career development plan for each employee, you prepare them for success, and you instill a sense of loyalty.
I recommend: The University of California-Berkeley offers an outline on how to set up individual career development plans for employees.

Reward a job well done

It takes more than just a competitive salary to retain good employees. Showing that you appreciate the work your employees do can be your most effective tool in retaining good staff members. In fact, a survey from Employee Retention Headquarters reveals that the one thing employees want more than anything is appreciation for a job well done.
I recommend: Find ways to show your appreciation at OCTanner.com, a leading provider of employee recognition solutions.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

  • Don't wait for yearly performance reviews to ask employees how they feel about their position. Take them to an informal lunch or offer coaching throughout the year to assist them in improving their performance.
  • Create an incentive program for all staff, not just those in sales. Measures of success don't have to be sales figures, but can also be great customer service, innovation and efficiency and creative thinking that improves the company overall.
  • Encourage all management staff to be approachable and work as a team leader, not a boss, to those who report to them.
  • Be prepared that key staff members will at sometime get a better offer outside the company. If you want to retain them consider what you can offer them to stay — better compensation, a promotion or fractional ownership in the company.

The official source of Keeping Good Employees is the Hiring and Retention page at Business.com

Retain Your Best Employees
Strategies for developing, maintaining and retaining your top-performing employees.
Free Assessment | Sample Reports | Demonstration
ProfilesInternational.com
Retention of Employees
Get a Free Datasheet From a Leading Retention of Employees Company & Integrate Learning, Compliance, Performance, Compensation and Succession.
www.cornerstoneondemand.com
Succession Planning Software
Award-winning web-based succession planning software. Easily grow & retain key talent with Halogen eSuccession. Sign up for a demo or a free trial!
Product Tour | ROI Calculator | Free Trial
www.HalogenSoftware.com
Pre-Employment Testing
Web-based selection testing helps you choose candidates who will increase productivity and also reduce turnover and training costs.
www.resourceassociates.com

Recommended Solution Providers

Xceleration
An incentive management company specializing in on-line performance improvement programs.

Retention Connection: Solutions for the Employee Turnover Challenge
Articles, products and services designed to aid businesses in employee retention.

Employee Retention Strategies
Employee Retention Strategies helps organizations provide effective employee communication to improve commitment and enhance workforce support for key corporate initiatives.

O.C. Tanner
Provides employee recognition awards and programs for service, sales, performance and other types of employee motivation.

The Incentive Group
Provider of incentive programs and direct mail marketing services.

Employee Retention Headquarters
Provides training to help keep employees.

Best Sites to Learn More

About.com: Retention of Employees Tips and Tools
Site contains tips, articles, tools, loyalty strategies and ideas for employee retention strategies that will help retain best staff.

Allbusiness.com: Employee Retention
Articles which business magazines which discuss the issue of employee retention.

Entrepreneur.com: Employee Retention
Site which discusses topics such as how to prevent employee turnover, choosing incentives, creating a workplace that encourages customer loyalty.

Inc.com: Employee Retention
Articles about techniques for retaining the best employees.

Allbusiness.com: Employee Retention
Articles from many magazines discussing employee retention.

Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement
White papers discussing various aspects of employee incentive and reward programs.

Best Blogs and Forums

Electronic Recruiting Exchange: Retention Secrets
Blog discussing techniques for retaining employees.

Workforce Management: General Forum
Discuss workforce management, performance management, retention, communication, motivation, contributing to business results and other topics.



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Retaining talent is one key to growing a successful business. To do so, you need to reward them for great performance. By giving your employees special rewards, you can: Foster a positive, productive workplace. Encourage loyalty and a sense of ownership in your business Surprise employees without creating a feeling of entitlement. Keep your customers happy — because happier employees do better work. Read more

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