Employee Retention During a Labor Shortage
Does your business have access to sufficient labor to support current and future growth? A shortage of employees often contributes to a bottleneck that can hinder expansion efforts. Hiring new employees is the obvious priority, but do not overlook the importance of combatting a labor shortage by focusing on employee retention. When you maintain a good team, it reduces your need to spend time recruiting, hiring, and training.
Long-term employee loyalty is a valuable resource for your business. Long-term employees also bring higher morale and productivity. At the same time, a reliable workforce requires less time and resources to complete necessary tasks. Here are a few tips to help with employee retention:
Cultivate culture and boost morale. With everything that’s happened in the past year, a focus on company culture and mental health is a necessity. Focus on creating a flexible workplace that encourages employee wellness and an environment where employees can bring their whole selves to work. Companies looking to attract and retain talent need to understand the changing dynamics of previously rigid corporate culture and adapt.
Highlight productivity in multiple ways. This not only means encouraging a healthy work/life balance but also diving into job requirements and potential growth areas. Now is the time to upskill the workers you currently have on staff and allow them to flex their muscles in other areas of the business. Sometimes you need to water the grass you have and allocate resources to those who have remained on the roster through tough times.
Promote health and safety in the workplace. Not only do you need to protect your team against injury on the job, but new health requirements must be followed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Consider these strategies to ensure safety for your employees and clients:
Increase cleaning standards and frequency in high-traffic areas, such as the break room and bathrooms.
Minimize all forms of contact by not allowing visitors.
Be sure to equip all employees with cleaning materials to wipe and sanitize their working area upon completion.
Streamline technology to make work easier. Look for ways to improve the employee experience by making their jobs easier. Technology is a great way to improve productivity and boost employee morale at the same time. Invest in software to help your employees get their work done faster. Practical technology solutions include software for project management, communication, and documentation.
Consider spot bonuses and other perks. During a war for talent–when employees have options– unexpected bumps that recognize employees can make a difference. Even smaller offerings such as paid-for lunches, a gift card can reinforce the fact that you care about your employees, and appreciate their contributions.
Always have a contingency plan. Naturally, all businesses should have a contingency plan for when employees leave. But now more than ever, following a pandemic and during a labor shortage, corporations understand the need for agility and succession planning. Should team members leave, there should be a setup in place for the weeks following. This is where upskilling becomes integral to the flow of work and continued productivity.
While the labor shortage should raise concerns for employers across the board, the most prepared small businesses will tackle this issue head-on. Though there’s potential for internal turbulence, there’s also an opportunity for leaders to highlight their appreciation for employees at all levels as well.
Do your employees find joy in their work?
What is JoyPowered Organizations about?It is about people—specifically the people that make our organizations a success…and that is everyone in our workplace. In my years of interacting with leaders, I have made a point to say we cannot forget about the people who make the organization work. Without them we simply cannot exist. So why are we not focused on creating environments that encourage and value them?
JoyPowered Organizations helps leaders understand why people are so important and how we can create strategies to attract, retain, develop, and promote them. Finding strong talent is increasingly more difficult—that is why we have to create workplaces where people do not want to leave, and others want to join!
So, grab a copy of JoyPowered Organizations on Amazon.com or the JoyPowered shop and tell your friends about this awesome book. Change starts within and that change can be within your organization.
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Did You Know…
At InvigorateHR, we believe that knowledge is power--that's why it is important to us to share our expertise with others. Our speakers bureau lists some of the topics on which we regularly speak. If you are in need of a dynamic speaker that will inspire and engage your audience, please reach out to us.
Topics
Diversity and Inclusion: Let It Grow Your Business
HR Strategy: It's Your Business!
HR Outsourcing: What Is Right for Your Business?
Inspire to Lead: Keys to Motivating Others
Leading with Emotional Intelligence
Multi-Generational Workplaces
Next Generation Leadership
Next Generation Recruitment: Are You Social Enough?
Performance Management: Your Core Values at Work
Strategic Employee Onboarding
Strategic Planning
Talent Acquisition: A Competitive Advantage
Thought Diversity: The New Frontier
Transgender Employees in the Workplace: HR's Role
Workplace Conduct
In addition, we offer a Management Development Series which includes:
Your Management Style
Interviewing and Onboarding
Engaging the Team
Delivering Performance Feedback
Creating a Results-Driven Environment
The list is not all-inclusive. If you are looking for a specific topic not listed, please contact us.
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