How to Retain Your Employees: 12 Quick Tips

Ireland is almost at full employment. The country has become a job-seekers’ market.

Employees are quicker to move on when another opportunity presents itself - there are more options than ever before!

Here are 12 tips to help your employees stay with you longer:

1. Retention starts with recruitment – Identify your company’s culture and find candidates aligned with your mission. Engaged employees tend to stay the course. Don’t rush the process.

2. Hire candidates with longevity at their previous jobs.

3. Promote internally and provide clear cut paths for career advancement.

4. Offer great benefits – Stock options, performance and loyalty bonuses, flexible work schedules, additional annual leave, work from home options and health insurance.

5. Have clearly defined paths for staff to earn a salary raise.

6. Create a community built on trust – hold regular meetings between management and employees. Promote honesty and openness between everyone in your company. Ask your staff for opinions and watch their eyes light up.

7. Give more responsibility - Motivated employees want to contribute to work areas outside of their job description. Put your trust in them and reap the rewards.

8. Ensure senior management recognize that your staff exists.

9. Offer extra hours to staff instead of hiring seasonal/temporary employees.

10. Provide regular real time feedback – let your employees know where they stand. A lack of feedback disengages employees and causes unnecessary anxiety. Don’t wait for annual review meetings.

11. Small perks go a long way. Think of how you can help your staff manage their lives better. It will be appreciated and make it more likely they stick around. Ideas: Dry cleaning pickup & delivery, Pizza day, Coffee mornings, birthday’s off or allowing staff to finish up an hour early on Fridays.

12. Promote employee development – Invest in upskilling your staff. Rather than spending money hiring additional staff, train and develop your current employees.