I recently was helping one of my clients find out why they had an unusual high rate of employee turnover. It took me just a few minutes walking around their business and interacting with their employees to see what was going on in the workplace. Here were my findings and feedback I received from my conversations with their staff and touring of their business that I thought I would share with you in this “Magic Minute”. Your business and employees might be experiencing the same thing.
We all know good employees who love what they do. Many good managers know those employees could just as easily love what they do someplace else. That’s why, with so much talk these days about disengaged workers, low unemployment and good people jumping ship, you’ll want to be sure your business is paying attention to the signs of why you have such a high rate of staff turnover.
Every business should take a look at these and ask what can they do to improve these situations. Fix ’em and maybe they’ll quit storming out the door:
No Work/Life Balance: Surveys on why good employees leave jobs often list work/life imbalance as a top reason. People have a life outside of the office. No one wants to use their vacation time. To avoid missing a day, people come to work sick. Good employees want to feel valued by results, not by the time they’re technically “present.” That goes for off time too. Just because people can be reached 24/7 doesn’t mean they should be.
Outdated Performance Reviews: Managers hate them. Employees hate them. So why are you still using stale performance reviews? They never say anything new, and they’re poor indicators of how an employee is really doing. Plus, by the time you give them the damage is already done. Don’t depress good employees with a soulless recitation of the same stuff year after year. They want to know how they’re doing right now and where they can improve. If you provide that, they won’t yearn for more rewarding feedback somewhere else.
A ‘Nowhere To Go But Out’ policy: Smart employees know they have to put in time and deliver before expecting an upward move. However, if the company doesn’t encourage growth opportunities, diligent employees will seek a place with more open career options.
Really BOGUS Rules: Most rules are made for good reasons. But nonsensical rules that are solely the whims of higher-ups will do more than make good employees bitter. They’ll make them wave goodbye. If you trust your employees, then show them you do by empowering them to make decisions on their own without your permission.
Not Sharing Information: When management keeps important information to itself, employees lose sight of how their efforts contribute to overall success. Employees will either find out what’s up on their own, or worse, start believing the rumors. More importantly, silence from above chips away at good employees’ trust.
Continue to Hire and Keep Useless People: Good employees like working with other good employees. But if your business can’t weed out bad candidates and employees, you might find your good ones you do have are heading for the door.
Subpar Work Environment: People don’t need to work in a palace to be productive. But there’s a difference between fancy offices and ones that look like maintenance took a few months off. A clean, orderly workplace is a no-brainer. Employees spend a good part of their life at work – so if the place is disorganized, dirty and unattractive, don’t be surprised when good employees can’t wait to leave.
Not FUN Anymore!: Work shouldn’t always be a party – but people do need to have fun once in a while. If your routines are TOO routine, plan something different. Hold a meeting over lunch – outside if weather permits. If you want feedback on something, grab a pen and paper and walk around to take a poll rather than using email. Provide free snacks and refreshments once in a while to show your appreciation.
If you can foster ways for employees to enjoy what they do, in a positive environment that encourages growth, feedback, sharing of ideas and to develop genuine relationships, you’ll notice that people seem genuinely happy to come to work each day. Now that is Magical!