The secret to retain employees

The month of May always kicks off with the International Labour Day celebrations where the role of working people is recognised. For some, it is just another day to stay home and relax while for others it actually carries importance as the day when their plight is highlighted. It is no secret that the pursuit of happiness is a universal goal. Even with the demands of the work life, one still hopes for a sense of happiness from their job. Any time a worker is not content with the situation at their workplace, they will vote with the feet. Much as it is not that easy to find a job it is not entirely true that a new job cannot be found and this is something employers should know. A good manager should keep staff turnovers at the bare minimum because with a stable and determined staff, a firm can achieve its set objectives much more easily. So the question that managers should be trying to answer is “What does the right employee want from our organisation/firm?” Sometimes this question is asked during job interviews but its left on the interview floor as life quickly returns to normal thereafter. The general answer is simply respect but if dissected further it entails a couple of things. After finding the right person for a job, keeping them will call for the employer to respect this person and their contribution to the company. This respect can be accorded in several ways.After clearly laying down the job description for the employee, a company should keep its side of the bargain by paying salaries on time without any unexplained deductions. It is really disrespectful for a company not to meet this simple expectation. Workers should also be given bonuses (or paid overtime) for any extraordinary input that increases the revenues of the company as a way of motivating them to do this more often than usual. Some companies even offer end of year bonuses something that could go a long way in keeping one from switching jobs at the end of the year. Another important aspect of employee respect is the investment in the career development of your staff. This can range from simple one day seminars to allowing your staff to leave for further studies. The bottom line is that it helps if a staff member is allowed to grow with the company by acquiring new skills. This can help the company function better while at the same time opening up room for better pay or job promotions. All this serves to keep him/her contented enough to hang around a little longer. Companies employ human beings and human beings have feelings. A company should be compassionately respectful of its staff. To this end, staff members should get their due holidays and legally sanctioned breaks like maternity and paternity leave, sick leave and compassionate leave. All said and done, respect is a two way street and employees should not expect to be respected if they do not respect themselves and their work. Arriving late to work, leaving before it is time to do so and abusing company property and spending company time in not so productive activities like ‘facebooking’ is not likely to get you any respect from your employer.