Improve Retention by Being a Better Manager

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Good Managers Care About Their Employees

If you view employees merely as workplace resources, you’ll always battle retention problems. It’s essential to support and value your staff as people, especially during times of personal crisis. The work/life balance is difficult under the best circumstances, but when an employee is dealing with situations like illness, death, or divorce, he or she needs to know you are an ally.

You may worry that people will use personal misfortunes as an excuse to take advantage of the company. But good employees have no desire to ruin their work reputations. The following story serves as a good example. Shortly after beginning a new job, one man learned that his mother was admitted to intensive care with a serious illness. His boss was completely sympathetic, encouraging the employee to come and go so he could see his mother during the short visiting hours. The employee never forgot this act of kindness, and 10 years later, he is still with the same boss. By giving employees sufficient latitude during troubled times, you can earn their commitment for the long-term.

Good Managers Motivate Their Employees

Everyone can be motivated, just not in the same way. One employee works hard to be promoted, another for bigger bonuses, and yet another for the sense of accomplishment. You can provide perks ranging from recognition awards to achievement bonuses. Yet if these “benefits” are not valued by your staff, they’re worthless. Your challenge is to find out what motivates each individual, and then help him or her to attain that objective.

Communicate with your staff on a regular basis to find out what they want. One manager hands out index cards to team members at each quarterly review meeting. Employees then write down the workplace benefits they desire, as well as any issues that might cause them to leave. By collecting this information, he finds it easier to keep his staff content and productive.

Are You A Good Boss?

Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans authors of Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em: Getting Good People to Stay have come up with a helpful list of questions that will help you determine if you’re doing everything possible as a boss to retain your good employees.

1. Do I realize that I am mainly responsible for retaining the talent on my team?
2. Do I inquire about how to make work more satisfying for my employees?
3. Do I know my employees’ career ambitions?
4. Do I respect the work/life balance issues my employees face?
5. Do I make my employees aware of the ways they can develop and grow their careers?
6. Do I introduce my employees to others within my internal and external network?
7. Do I encourage my employees to work actively on their own development?
8. Am I committed to my employees and value their contributions?
9. Do I support the work-related interests of my employees?
10. Do I question and bend the rules to support my employees?
11. Do I recognize and reward my employees’ accomplishments in a variety of ways?
12. Do I provide my employees as much choice as possible on how work gets done?
13. Do I tell my employees where they stand and what they need to do to improve?
14. Do I take time to listen to and really understand my employees?
15. Do I take the initiative to learn what my employees value?

Invest Now or Pay Later

Becoming a good boss takes hard work—sharing ideas with other managers, talking candidly with your employees, even receiving some leadership training from a qualified consulting firm. But it’s your best bet for assembling and retaining a team of great people. And finally, the effort spent is much less costly than a chronic turnover problem.

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