Practical ways to retain employees

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As we embarked on the great resignation time towards the end of the pandemic. There have been innovative ways organizations have thought out on how to make their employees happy. There were improvements on existing perks and benefits but there are also new offerings due to the changes in employment landscape plus the advent of remote working. However, there are still those practical and traditional ways that are tried and tested that truly make an effective retention plan:

1. Streamlined and effective onboarding process

For any new comer, one thing that welcomes them to the company is the onboarding process. This area leaves so much impression to any employee. Not only this becomes an entry point but this determines the kind of support they can expect from the company throughout their tenure. So it is very important that employee feel valued and empowered by providing the necessary knowledge about the company’s vision and mission, informed about the product and services and make sure that they understand the processes that they will soon be navigating to

2. Mentoring

As a follow-up on item #1, pairing a newcomer with a mentor for the first 90 days at most will truly give the employee confidence that in time, they will arrive to a point where they will be acclimated, feeling a sense of comfortability with work and colleagues, and feel they will do a great job. 

3. Transparent Growth opportunities

Employees not only want to be with the company they love in terms of benefits and colleagues. It is important for them to also see the future that awaits them in the organization. Organizations may hold career pathing and growth talks from time to time to help guide employees on their journey. It can also be supplemented by posting in the department the career growth chart so they will be reminded of the path they are taking.

4. Feedback process

Getting feedback from direct mentors or department managers is one way to express areas of improvements and recognize great work done. This also gives time for employees to introspect on their performance and make better decisions on their next steps. Some companies do not have clear guidelines on evaluations and feedback process, this puts employees in limbo on how they are performing, if there’s any , appraisal or even promotions to look forward to.

5. Counseling

Counseling is one avenue to support the employees and ensure their well-being. May it be emotion, physical and spiritual. This plays a crucial role ensuring that employees are valued and the company is looking after them beyond their roles and as an employee. It is a very basic human-centric way to connect to the person.