Love thy Employees, Business is automatic
Many organizations seem to struggle to retain their employees. From what I have seen, all you need to retain an employee is to give them wholesome work, salary, and Love. Loving your employees may not translate into business in the short term, but in the long term, it will definitely improve the ROI and trust of your customers. In this post, I am sharing some of the genuine things an organization can do to Love its employees.
1. As a CEO / HR head of the company, one should ensure that
a. HR policies and practices are balanced. While setting policies, CEOs are always in a fix, whether to make policies that benefit the business or the employees. I feel that balance is the key. Finally, isn’t an organization built by people? So, business is an outcome of the efforts put in by the employees. Thus, the benefit of employees means benefit to the business. There may be instances when employees misuse such liberal policies. But then, they can be balanced by having an effective disciplinary policy.
b. Training / Interactive sessions are organized for the managers to ensure that the spirit of the policies is implemented
c. Have policies that take care of the overall development of an employee (Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual). Once, when I was discussing a 360-degree employee review system with a client, I suggested that the company should seek feedback from the family members of the employee to get a real 360-degree assessment
2. As a manager / leader,
a. It is often beneficial to ignore minor operational issues like employee leaves, early check-outs, etc. Good leaders always tell their team members that their leaves are automatically approved. The employees need to ensure that nothing urgent and important is pending because of them. Believe me, employees go out of their way to get the work done, even when they are on leave.
b. Take time to groom your team members so that they get better in their careers. Sit with them and devise their career path. Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly plans should also have learning plans. Let your team members learn so that they can get better at their work. Even if they leave you, they will spread positive vibes for you and your organization.
c. Take time to review the work done by your team members and guide them. 1:1 Appraisals / Reviews are not to give or cut ratings, they are for guiding team members and clearing expectations. Timely feedback can help reduce the stress later. Also, a review is a dialogue, not a monologue. Listen to your team members during the review. Is there something that’s hindering their growth? Well, that’s why you are their manager.
d. One nice tip, I caught from the book ‘The One Minute Manager’ by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson, ‘Appreciate / Praise the work done by new team members (and ignore their mistakes for some time)’. This helps in creating a nice personal bond during their first few months on your team. Not to forget, appreciation is needed by everyone, not just new team members.
Contrary to the belief that employees leave jobs for money, most often people don’t leave jobs — they leave managers and non-conducive work culture. A caring and fruitful work environment can lower attrition rate and improve ROI and goodwill.
This is not an exhaustive list. If you have any other ideas or experiences, please do share them with me.
