New Year, New Start…?!

New Year; New Start?

Many of your employees could be thinking this and you may be about to lose great people!

January is that time of year when many of us look to move on and start the search for a new job. With end of year/Christmas bonuses safely in the bank and the “new year, new start” mentality kicking in, now is the time some will look for their next challenge and “something new”.

Employers need to work hard to retain talent and so should take steps now to ensure that they do so.

Some tips to help engage, motivate and retain employees include:

• Thanking them for all of their hard work last year and let them know what lies ahead for 2020 – make them feel appreciated and connected to the business.
• Allow people to work flexibly! This doesn’t have to mean part time, different hours permanently or working from home all of the time – just the ability to start a couple of hours later one day to make a school assembly, or work from home for an afternoon to wait for a delivery. Help employees to fully commit to both their personal and professional lives!
• Charity focus – Allow employees time to volunteer at their chosen charity; support a local cause or introduce a scheme to match money raised by employees for charities close to their heart.
• Focus on employee health & wellbeing! Help employees live better both physically and mentally. Look at mental wellbeing programmes, help to quit smoking, healthier living – all of these things help to create a healthier workforce, feeling great and therefore performing at their best.
• Support growth and development – provide access to training courses, internal coaching and mentoring. Succession plan for the future and keep hold of those key individuals.
• Be open and honest with your team.
• Trust your employees!

There are many ways to create a more engaged, motivated workforce and what works in one business, may be different in another; but what is true of any organisation is that people are at the heart of it!

Employee engagement is the key to improving employee productivity and loyalty in the workplace – can you afford to ignore it?