Some amount of employee churn is normal. In fact, about 50% of people recruited into an organization leave within the first two years. It’s just the natural ebb and flow of a human resources department.
But when turnover starts to become a trend—that’s when you should start to worry.
Having a high employee turnover rate means something is going wrong, as there’s often a common denominator causing the exodus from your workspace. Maybe it’s someone oozing negativity within a certain department. Maybe people are tired of being required to work way past quitting time.
Whatever the cause, it’s important to look at some ways you can take charge of the situation and turn things around. Let’s talk company culture.
Educate and Train
One reason employees leave a job is because they don’t feel they have any opportunities to expand their skillsets and improve within their roles. Offering ongoing training is a way to increase the value they see in their work, as it helps them know their abilities are important to the company. Plus, it ensures higher quality and fewer errors on their end.
Keep Communication Flowing
Closed doors and sectioned off offices make it difficult for certain teams to communicate effectively. Find ways to keep communication flowing by coming together for all-team meetings, lunches, or brainstorming sessions so the organization still has times when it can meet and function as a whole.
Show Appreciation
When an employee feels used or under appreciated, they start browsing the job listings in hopes of finding something new. You can fix this by offering options like competitive salary, bonus opportunities, ways to earn extra paid vacation time, and even tuition reimbursement. Investing in your employees helps keep them happy and hungry for a challenge.
Keep Work/Life Balance Front and Centre
Think about ways your company can provide greater flexibility to employees (but still empowers them to get their work done.) This might come in the form of flexible work hours, remote work, or extra days off. When there’s light at the end of the tunnel, your employees will push harder to get things done so they can keep their personal life in check.
Mentor
For employees in a critical thinking role, mentors can be a powerful source of motivation, coaching, and guidance. Not every employee is going to feel comfortable asking the boss a question about how to do something, so a mentor provides an expert to call on as well. Feedback from mentors can also help mold younger staff that needs insight into their new roles.
Don’t Let Turnover Take Over
If you can create a strong company culture that makes employees feel like important parts of the team, they’ll feel greater loyalty and pride toward their company that treats them so well.
The best part? Most of these suggestions are low-cost (or no cost) solutions. Test them out on your team and see if you notice a decrease in your churn rate.
