5 Steps to Retaining Your Best Employees

You finally have the right mix of personalities and skill sets on your team to deliver great results. But then, it happens: One of your top performers hands in their resignation. You didn’t see it coming. Where did you go wrong?

First, as a manager, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, according to some reports, approximately half of U.S. workers are actively seeking new job opportunities. That means even if your people seem happy and engaged, that doesn’t mean they’re going to stick around if a better opportunity comes their way.

The good news is that there are some steps you can take to keep your top performing employees on staff. Here’s a look at five of them:

Step #1: Find out what’s important to them.

As one of the leading staffing agencies in Houston, TX, Murray Resources knows competitive compensation is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to retaining top employees. Today’s workers want flexibility, challenging assignments, and a healthy work life balance. However, when it comes to your unique situation and your top employees, they may want something different altogether – and it’s up to you to find out what that is, whether it’s a bigger paycheck, or the ability to work from home.

Step #2: Help them grow.

Many times, employers eliminate or avoid offering training and development programs because they cost money. However, these kinds of programs will benefit your company in the long run not only through a more skilled workforce, but a more loyal one, as well. Also, these programs don’t have to break your budget. It may be a matter of finding the right mix of free and paid training opportunities, or getting creative, such as developing a mentoring program at work.

Step #3: Give them opportunities to get ahead.

If there aren’t opportunities to move up the ranks at a company, then your top performers aren’t going to stick around. It’s important to offer them new opportunities, stretch assignments, and a shot at getting promoted.

Step #4: Offer advice.

Take top performers under your wing. Offer them advice and guidance. Become a sounding board for their ideas and visions. Don’t be afraid to give them constructive criticism. In most cases, these are the types of people who want to know what they’re doing right and areas that could use improvement.

Step #5: Manage well.

When an employee resigns, it’s often because they didn’t get along with their manager. So when you’re leading your team, strive to offer clear goals and expectations, recognize and praise good performance, nip problems and conflict in the bud, and model the kind of behavior you expect from your employees. When you’re a great manager who’s honest, hard working and who has a strong vision, the best people will want to work for you.

Would you like help finding and hiring top people for your team? Call Murray Resources. As one of the leading staffing agencies in Houston, TX, organizations all over the city rely on our expertise to source and retain top talent for hard-to-fill, key positions across a broad range of business disciplines. Contact us today to find out more.