Few things changed the workplace as quickly as the shift to remote work, and employees haven’t forgotten it. What people expect from an employer, from pay to flexibility, looks different than it did a few years ago, and that changes what employee retention takes.
It also helps to remember how far the workplace has come. The nine to five workday and other working conditions became standard over time, with legally required breaks that depend on the hours worked, the job field and the kind of work involved.
Pay is always a main factor in whether candidates accept a job. But remote work opened up a whole new set of options, especially for people whose skills are in high demand.
So how do you keep your next star hire once you’ve found them? Here are four places to start. For a deeper look at what keeps people in their seats, read our guide on why employees stay.
1. Begin with benefits
Along with offering remote work and flexible hours, many companies are investing more in their employees, with more complete benefits that support retention, happiness and the overall work environment.
These benefits vary from one organization to the next. Some offer treats in the break room, shorter hours in the summer or company wide retreats and parties that build a sense of community. The more a company grows, the more it needs to hire, and the more it tends to invest in keeping the people it already has.
Take Crozier & Associates, which offered its employees help with the down payment on their first home.
A benefit like that gives people a reason to apply, which gives the company more candidates to choose from. It also gives employees a reason to stay, because they feel taken care of and stable in their role.
Not every company can help employees buy a home. But with all the work and time that goes into hiring, it’s worth investing in what makes your people want to stay.
2. Mean what you say to pay
It’s become a cliché for companies to promise a “competitive wage” without giving a dollar amount, so they can see what the candidate expects and negotiate from there.
If the role pays less than competitors pay for the same job, vague promises can leave you with resentful, short term employees who move on as soon as someone else pays more.
The better practice is to be transparent from the start and not waste anyone’s time.
If you can’t match your competitors on pay, show what makes your organization worth joining. That can include benefits, flexibility like remote work or set hours, and a clear path to grow in the company instead of a dead end.
3. Flex your flexibility
If your team has done well while working from home, that’s a good sign your employees can work that way, and many may prefer it. Skipping the daily commute while still getting the work done on time can be a win for both sides.
If you offer remote work, stick to regular hours for contact. Message employees and answer their messages during working hours, so you don’t encourage people to work late and they can keep a healthy line between work and home.
Diana Bruk of BestLife put it this way: “the irony of the modern workday is that it now contradicts its original purpose, which was to eradicate the exploitation of workers.”
The nine to five workday was meant to protect workers. Yet some employees still work past their hours to look more dedicated than their peers. That might look like a good thing, but it can lead to burnout, lower productivity and resentment.
It’s your job to make the end of the workday a real cutoff. It isn’t always easy, but your team will notice, and it shows that you value their time and effort.
4. Self esteem makes for a happy team
The last one is as simple as it sounds: appreciation goes a long way, especially in high stress roles.
It’s our favorite because it’s the easiest option to put in place, and it can make a real difference to how people feel about their work. Recognition doesn’t need a big budget. It needs managers who notice good work and say so.
Feedback matters too, both positive and constructive. It gives people new challenges to rise to and helps them grow.
When you give feedback, positive or critical, make it clear how much the person matters to the team and that you support them. A regular conversation about what keeps them engaged helps, and these stay interview questions are a good place to start.
What employee retention really comes down to
Many companies now compete on benefits, flexibility and remote work to attract and keep good people.
High pay and generous benefits help, but transparency, strong communication and support are easy, accessible and essential parts of a workplace that keeps people for the long run.
If your turnover is high, or your team seems unhappy or overwhelmed, the problem may start before day one, with how candidates are screened for the role.
Workwolf® sources candidates, filters them with AI, phone screens them with its recruiters and books the best fits into your calendar, so you only meet the finalists and make the hire. Workwolf® runs on its own AI engine, Packfinder. It screens and ranks every applicant against the profile of each client’s top performers, and it gets more precise with every placement.
Book a call to see how it would work for your roles, or run your numbers in our hiring ROI calculator.
