15 Aug Tips to Retain the Best Employees
In many industries, employers are using recruiting and retention strategies to keep valuable employees and to lure other qualified employees. Following are 20 ways to recruit and keep valuable employees, offered by Joan Stewart, author of “113 Tips for Recruiting Valuable Employees” and “107 Tips for Keeping Valuable Employees”:
1. Recruit spouses of current employees, or look to them for referrals.
2. Offer referral bonuses.
3. Target people who volunteer their services at places such as hospitals and non-profit agencies. Give them fliers like this: “If you want to get paid for what you’re doing for free, call us.”
4. Call every good employee who has ever worked for you and left. You might find one who is miserable and would love to come back but is too embarrassed to contact you. (Be sure to ask them why they left in the first place.)
5. Reimburse employees for some or all outstanding college fees.
6. Offer interest-free car loans.
7. Create testimonial ads featuring your own employees commenting on the benefits of working for you.
8. Make job interviews fun and use them as a chance to strut your best stuff. Ask the friendliest person in your workplace to take applicants on a tour.
9. Give your business cards to friendly, helpful people whom you would like to apply to work for you, and include a short note on the back inviting them to call you.
10. Train select employees on how to interview job candidates.
11. Let employees participate occasionally in job-switch days and trade jobs with other staff members.
12. Set higher productivity goals for employees, then offer them generous amounts of time off if they exceed the goals.
13. Create a quiet room where employees can go if they want to rest, meditate or nap.
14. Offer paid vacations to part-timers.
15. When employees become ill or are injured and still want to work, make accommodations for them to work from home.
16. Offer employees two hours off a week, with pay, to volunteer at the schools their children attend. Childless employees can volunteer at local schools or for their favorite nonprofits.
17. Create a “Wow Wall” in an open area where letters from happy customers are displayed. (If a certain employee is responsible for a specific compliment mentioned in the letter, include their photo next to the letter.)
18. Treat employees to an annual bingo night and catered buffet supper.
19. Use clever job titles. for example, at a sandwich chain, employees are called “Sandwich Artists.”
20. Invest in business cards for everyone. They give employees a sense of self-worth.
Payroll Partners is committed to helping clients stay informed about payroll and human resource news, developments and current events. This article is intended to provide readers with general information on human resource matters. The article does not constitute, and should not be treated as professional advice regarding the use of any particular human resources practice. All efforts have been made to assure the accuracy of the information. Payroll Partners does not assume responsibility for any individual’s reliance upon the information provided in the article. Readers should independently verify all information before applying it to a particular fact situation, and should independently determine the impact of any particular human resource practice. If you are seeking human resources advice, you are encouraged to consult a certified human resources professional.