How To Stem The Tide Of Turnover

In 37 years of working in HR, I’ve performed countless exit interviews to learn why people leave their jobs. One of the top reasons continues to be company culture. Most companies that managed to successfully navigate the post-Covid-19 era now have a company culture born from suggestions and requests from employees that they incorporated into the dayto-day working environment to keep employees happy and decrease turnover.

In today’s challenging job market, employers are the sellers while employees are the buyers. This gives job candidates the upper hand in their search and encourages them to jump ship if they are unhappy at a job. If you want to improve employee retention and keep top talent at your organization, give employees and candidates a voice in shaping your company’s culture.

Avoiding turnover takes effort from all levels of the organization. How can you get started? CEOs looking to improve their employee retention rate should try the following methods:

1. Conduct employee surveys. Regularly checking in with your staff to hear their thoughts, complaints and suggestions will ensure your employees feel heard and valued. They will be more likely to stay at an organization that listens to their needs and responds accordingly.

2. Conduct stay interviews/post-hire interviews. Somewhere in the 60- to 90-day window of onboarding a new employee, check in with them and find out if the job is as expected. If many candidates indicate that what they were told during the interviews was fiction, you may have problems in your hiring or onboarding process. Until they are fixed, they will hurt your retention rate.

3. Define and communicate your employee value proposition (EVP). According to a Gallup poll, 41 percent of workers leave their job due to organizational engagement and culture. A company culture that reflects what candidates are looking for will attract great people. An EVP that is aligned with the organization’s business strategy/goals will attract and retain employees who fit the unique company culture. Be sure to brand your company well, with a strong career page and social media accounts that show what it’s like to work for your company. However, don’t overpromise and underperform. Companies that oversell and misrepresent the role just to get candidates to accept risk losing these workers.

4. Flexible, hybrid schedules. Focusing on work-life balance and allowing flexible work schedules will encourage retention. People are more likely to work for an organization that mirrors their values and allows them to balance work with the demands of their family and personal life.

5. Train the managers. It’s my perspective that companies resist giving employees the flexibility they want because they struggle with remote and hybrid work. But they need to break through that resistance and focus on what they’re really struggling with and figure out how to overcome it. Forcing everyone to come back to the office is a losing proposition. Many managers aren’t using metrics; they’re using the perception of productivity (if they see employees physically working in the office). Ensure that you train managers to work with hybrid teams that are not in the office every day. Train them to track tangible KPIs and metrics instead of relying on micromanaging. Even if employees are in the office, that is no guarantee they’re being productive and getting their work done. Another common reason why workers choose to leave a job is because of their manager, so ensure managers are receiving proper training and development.

6. Provide development opportunities. If your employees have a clear path forward and training available to them, then they can continue to grow and evolve with the company. Also, be sure to have a solid employee recognition program in place so they feel appreciated.

The more you struggle to fill turnover, the more unstable your organization will be. Turnover can set a company back by years. And it’s not about outspending other organizations, it’s about “out-culturing” them and proving to job candidates that your organization is a desirable workplace. However, recruiting can be difficult if an organization doesn’t have someone dedicated to hiring. Consider working with recruiting professionals, like those at OperationsInc, who can source, interview and help onboard your new hires to ensure a great experience for all parties.