5 Ways to Improve Employee Morale to Prevent Turnover
Turnover can be destructive to both the morale of your other employees and your bottom line. Training new people is expensive. Money walks out the door each time a fully trained employee leaves. Consider the tips below to keep your team happy and engaged.
1. Offer Flexibility
Be diligent about posting the work schedule on the same day, and if possible, at the same time each week. There are many people struggling to keep more than one job, and posting a late schedule can be incredibly disruptive to their lives.
Allow your employees the option to trade with approval. While you may need to prevent employees from going over 40 hours a week, be prepared to let them front-load their hours or take on more than 8 hours per day if they can do so effectively.
2. Pay the Going Rate
For many young employees, high rent rates have made working just one job almost impossible. If you want to be the employer who gets their best effort and greatest dedication, you will need to pay the going rate.
Keep an eye on the local rental markets. If the going rate for a studio apartment goes up each month, you may need to consider bumping up your rate of pay to keep your employees happy. When your employees don’t have to work multiple jobs or find another job to make ends meet, your office will experience less turnover.
3. Celebrate Promotions
Celebrate each step your employees take on their employment journey. Make note of the end of their first week. If you have a steady employee who is ready to move to management, raise a fuss and make note of their achievement! Having happy, skilled employees who know their jobs is often the best way to keep your customers happy.
4. Reward Your Trainers
Find the teachers in your current employ and put them to work training others. It’s one thing to know your job and quite another to teach the necessary skills to another person.
Once you have skilled trainers on your staff, do your best to advance and reward them. Such rewards may include more autonomy on the job, more money, and greater opportunities to change up their schedule
Be aware that not all teachers are good leaders. Just because you have a good trainer doesn’t mean they’re interested in supervising or leading shifts. Do your best to be sensitive to these needs.
5. Protect Your Employees
Grumpy customers can sap the energy of your staff. If you have a guest who is becoming unpleasant, step in. Sometimes being the boss means taking the heat when a customer becomes verbally unpleasant or difficult.
Your employees will note when you step up for them. You will increase their loyalty to you and lift their morale when they know that you have their back.
Skilled employees are to be valued. Whether they’re making sandwiches or manufacturing widgets, morale is about feeling connected and being appreciated for your expertise. By celebrating the skills of your employees, you can build a strong team of reliable workers.