10 Ways to Improve Employee Retention

Employee retention is one of the main challenges for employers in 2022.

According to a recent study by Zenefits, approximately 81% of companies say that high employee turnover has become a very costly problem in recent years. This employee retention statistic shows that employees have become increasingly critical of their working conditions. They want a healthy and flexible work environment. They also want to maintain the gains made during the pandemic, such as remote work.

Of course, you need to regularly survey your teams to ensure their well-being and motivation at work. However, you also need to make informed decisions to concretely improve the employee experience on an ongoing basis. This will show your colleagues that their opinion is heard and validated — a remarkable quality for a great employer.

How can you ensure the attraction and retention of your staff? What are the key factors for retaining your employees? To shed light on this topic, this article offers 10 relevant tips to help you become an expert in the matter.

Why is employee retention important in a company?

Employee retention is defined by an employer's ability to keep their talent. It is a process aimed at implementing relevant loyalty strategies to optimize the engagement of current employees by continuously improving their working conditions and their experience.

Why is it important to ensure the retention of your talent? According to a study by Gallup, many statistics prove the importance of employee retention. Companies with engaged and motivated teams will, on average, experience:

• 81% less absenteeism;
• 64% fewer accidental workplace injuries;
• 18% less employee turnover;
• 28% less theft;
• 10% more customer engagement;
• 18% more sales;
• 23% more revenue.

In terms of retention, it is important to remember that an engaged and motivated team will be ready to give their best to ensure the success of your company. Be proactive: provide your employees with an experience that meets their expectations in order to retain your talent while offering your customers a memorable service!

How to improve employee retention? 10 tips

Although retaining talent is a crucial factor for the smooth running of your company, it can be difficult to fully understand the challenges surrounding it. After all, every human being has different needs. So how can you ensure the attraction and retention of your current staff? Here are 10 retention factors to optimize the loyalty of your current employees.

1. Have a clear and dynamic onboarding and integration process

Did you know that according to SHRM, 20% of new hires leave within their first month at a new company? It is clear that your onboarding and integration processes play a crucial role in retaining new employees!

To properly welcome your new employees, pay special attention to them. For example, you could:

• Plan the calendar for the first few weeks in advance to ensure they understand the tasks required;
• Offer a welcome gift to mark their arrival at your company;
• Set aside time to introduce them to the rest of your team;
• Take time with them to present the company, your organizational goals, values, and aspirations;
• Explain in detail what their position entails and their assigned responsibilities;
• Organize weekly meetings with their manager to ensure a rigorous follow-up of their integration into your company;
• Send satisfaction surveys to new employees to ensure their well-being at work during this integration period.

Remember that the first few weeks are crucial to retaining your new employees. This is when they will form an impression of your brand, your organizational culture, and your company. Plan the onboarding and integration of your new hires in detail to ensure their well-being within your organization.

2. Survey your most loyal employees to find out what they like about you

According to Gallup, 85% of employees are disengaged from their work. While this is a majority, it is wrong to think that all of your employees are unmotivated. Analyzing your strengths as an employer is not about ignoring what is going wrong, but rather seeing both sides of the coin. On a positive note, take the time to evaluate what you are already doing well and continue on that path. To do this, why not survey your most loyal employees to find out what they like about you? You can then use their answers to highlight your best assets in job postings and on social media. These arguments, based on your company values, are an excellent way to attract talent and show your appreciation. Such HR marketing will benefit both the attraction and retention of your staff!

Furthermore, if they particularly enjoy a certain aspect of their work, why not improve it? Process optimization, better internal communication, great team members, task allocation based on the various specializations of your colleagues — there are many ways to continuously improve the experience of these valuable ambassadors. Such optimization will show your collaborators that their well-being is at the heart of your priorities. This will have a considerable impact on employee retention!

3. Evolve your benefits over time to remain competitive

In this period of rising salaries, it can be particularly difficult to become a top employer. Competition is fierce and talent will certainly be attracted to the company with the best benefits and working conditions. To this end, it is important to regularly survey your teams to put in place working conditions and social benefits that will set you apart from your competitors!

According to Future Forum (Slack), 76% of employees want flexibility in their working hours. Moreover, 93% of employees want flexibility regarding their place of work. To ensure employee retention, you could offer:

• A competitive salary tailored to the position;
• Bonuses based on individual performance;
• A flexible schedule;
• Generous paid time off;
• Prescription drug and dental insurance;
• An employee assistance program (EAP);
• An RRSP plan for employees;
• Reimbursement of gym fees;
• For remote work: a free computer, paid internet access, and reimbursement of the employee's cell phone plan;
• And more!

Remember that flexibility is above all a sign of empathy. Excellent working conditions will quickly attract talent to your company and improve the retention of your current employees. This is a notable asset for the success of your organization!

4. Recognize the efforts and work of your employees

Did you know that recognition plays a crucial role in employee retention? According to a study by Psychology Today, 83% of employees consider recognition at work more motivating than rewards or gifts. How can you express your recognition at work to better retain your talent?

Here are nine tips to show your teams how much you appreciate them:

• Highlight your best employees on social media;
• Acknowledge good work during group meetings;
• Give precise and detailed feedback;
• Share with your teams the positive comments highlighted by satisfied customers;
• Frequently organize recognition activities (team dinners, team-building activities, draws, etc.);
• Celebrate your colleagues' birthdays at the office;
• Implement small gestures of appreciation towards your collaborators;
• Acknowledge the achievements in the personal lives of your employees;
• And more!

Employee retention is defined by your ability to establish a high-quality employee experience. To achieve this, make sure each of your colleagues feels cherished and appreciated within your organization. Such demonstrations of recognition will certainly benefit the loyalty of your employees at work!

5. Create a positive work culture

Of course, to ensure employee retention, you need to establish a positive work environment based on respect, trust, and collaboration. With this in mind, take care to instil a positive energy to show your collaborators that they are respected and appreciated within your company.

Encourage your colleagues to exchange frequently, establish periods to highlight the achievements of your employees, and reward the efforts of your collaborators. A united team will be much more efficient and motivated at work, ready to give their best to ensure the success of your company. Likewise, employees who feel flexibility, empathy, and respect from their employer will be more inclined to stay with the same company in the long term. Keep these valuable tips in mind to optimize employee retention within your organization!

6. Foster frequent exchanges among colleagues

Employee retention is defined by your ability to retain and motivate your talent at work. A key challenge related to retaining your collaborators is maintaining quality relationships with their work colleagues.

According to a study by Wildgoose, maintaining friendly relationships at work has several benefits for employees:

• 57% say it makes work more enjoyable;
• 12% confirm it would discourage them from leaving a company;
• 22% are more productive at work;
• 21% are more creative at work;
• 21% find it helped them through a difficult period in their personal life.

Definitely, these statistics prove that quality bonds are necessary for employee retention! So how can you encourage your colleagues to make friends at work?

Here are seven ideas to encourage quality exchanges at work:

• Regularly organize outings with colleagues;
• Prioritize team-building activities;
• Plan group meetings to share the highlights of personal life;
• Create a dedicated break space for exchanges between colleagues;
• Plan meals with colleagues for more relaxed discussions unrelated to work;
• While working remotely, organize regular virtual calls to check in with your teams;
• Encourage an organizational culture based on respect and mutual support to promote healthy and friendly relationships at work.

A united team will be more engaged at work, and will offer high-quality service to your clients. This is an essential asset for employee retention and customer loyalty!

7. Send surveys to gauge the satisfaction of your current teams

Did you know that according to Gallup, 52% of companies say they could have put in place solutions to convince employees who resigned to stay before it was too late? This employee retention statistic shows that it is important to regularly survey your staff to ensure their engagement with your organization!

To prevent employee turnover, regularly ask them about their job satisfaction. Recognition, relationships with colleagues, relationship with managers, professional fulfillment, satisfaction with completed tasks — there are many metrics related to the well-being of your teams.

With a solution like InputKit, you can identify employee dissatisfaction and act quickly before it is too late. Be proactive: learn in detail about the weaknesses of your employee experience to rectify the situation. Informed decisions based on the concrete needs of your colleagues will certainly show them that you have their well-being at heart. This is an essential asset for improving employee retention within your company.

8. Implement an employee retention committee

Of course, not all employees you hire demonstrate loyalty from their very first day at your company. After all, loyalty is a long and complex process influenced by several factors. This is why, to ensure the long-term well-being of your teams, it may be relevant to implement an employee retention committee!

To do so, form a team of employees with various roles within your company. For example, it is important that someone from the HR department be part of this committee. Why not also involve colleagues from other teams to have better visibility into motivation and retention across all your teams? By involving your committee in your decisions, you will have a better overall view of the priorities to address within your employee experience. This way, you can look after the well-being of your teams while maximizing their motivation at work. This is definitely a must when it comes to employee retention!

9. Keep your employees informed about the evolution of your company

One of the worst things for an employee is to never be kept informed of the company's progress. Not knowing the next goals or developments of an organization can be extremely discouraging for your colleagues. They will feel lost, abandoned, and forgotten by their managers, in addition to not knowing where to focus their efforts.

According to a study by Gallup, 70% of employees are more engaged at work when led by proactive managers. Always take the time to properly inform your employees, both during organizational meetings and during employee performance evaluations.

During organizational meetings, explain in detail your upcoming goals and future changes within your organization to better prepare your teams. By informing them in advance, they will be better equipped to understand the priorities of your future goals and act accordingly. If needed, they can also provide their perspective based on their assigned position to offer you a better overall view of the changes to be made. This is a crucial point for optimizing employee engagement and retention!

During your performance evaluations, provide precise and detailed feedback to your employees so they know the areas to improve. Emphasize the positive to show your appreciation and highlight the achievements of your colleagues. This will encourage them to offer your customers the best possible service. Keep this tip in mind to improve employee retention!

10. Give your employees the right tools to succeed

To ensure employee retention, your teams must first feel invested and involved in the tasks assigned to them. What better way to achieve this than to provide them with the right tools to support their professional development?

According to LinkedIn Learning, approximately 70% of employees consider professional learning an important factor in retention at work. With this in mind, take care to encourage the professional development of your employees. For example, you can:

• Invite them to conferences related to your industry's field of expertise;
• Provide them with high-performance technological tools (computer, tablet, etc.);
• Enroll them in ongoing training to refine their professional knowledge and help them specialize in certain tasks;
• Encourage them to participate in organizational meetings to ensure their good understanding of the required tasks.

Remember that by providing your teams with good tools, you are setting them up for success. An employee who feels gratified and professionally fulfilled will be much more motivated and engaged at work. Keep this valuable tip in mind to optimize employee retention.

How InputKit can help you improve employee retention

With a solution like InputKit in your company, you benefit from many advantages to improve employee retention. For example, our turnkey employee performance evaluation and improvement solution allows you to automatically share positive feedback from your satisfied customers with your employees. Thanks to this feature, you can motivate your teams to ensure optimal performance while showing them how much you appreciate their great service. With InputKit, optimize your reputation as an employer to attract and retain many talents within your company. This will have a positive impact on your employee retention!

In addition, InputKit will soon allow you to send internal satisfaction surveys. Be proactive: with these surveys, you take action based on the real needs of your colleagues to continuously improve your employee experience. Onboarding surveys for new employees, exit interviews, evaluation of relationships between colleagues and managers, and more — take advantage of our many templates to get a clear picture of your staff's satisfaction at work. Such responsiveness as an employer will certainly set you apart from your competitors. By showing your teams that their well-being is a priority, you will definitively optimize employee retention!

Schedule my free InputKit demo to improve employee retention

Employee retention is crucial for your company. Keep our ten tips in mind to optimize the loyalty of your staff members!

Put in place excellent onboarding and integration processes for new recruits, then survey your teams through employee questionnaires. Leverage your satisfied employees as brand ambassadors to promote your employer brand. For dissatisfied employees, take the time to listen to them and implement improvements as soon as possible.

Optimize your social benefits and working conditions to remain competitive while continuously improving your employee experience. Regularly demonstrate recognition, by establishing an organizational culture based on mutual support, communication, and respect. Implement an employee retention committee to identify priority areas for improvement and quickly address work-related dissatisfaction among your staff. Finally, give your teams the right tools to succeed — cutting-edge technology, proactive managers, informative sessions, high-performance CRM, organizational meetings, ongoing training. Ensure good internal communication and professional learning for your employees for an optimized and unique experience. You will thus ensure the retention of your employees!

Now, do you need external help to improve your employee experience? If so, we invite you to schedule a completely free and personalized InputKit demo, at a time that suits you. Our experts will certainly be able to help you implement an unforgettable employee experience to attract and retain talent within your company!