Unlike any other year before, 2022 was challenging for many companies and their workforce. As we kick start the New Year, how do companies retain and engage their workforce in this period of uncertainty and fear? When it comes to culture and employee engagement, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Every company has challenges and successes because the people who make up the organization are unique.
Here are six ways to address turnover in the workplace:
- Seek to understand what’s on your employees’ minds: How do you capture real-time employee feedback? Whether through an employee survey or check-ins with your leaders, having a pulse on what employees feel and think about is crucial to inform your decisions and how you drive the business forward.
- Keep your employees close through transparent, consistent company-wide communications: Whether it’s a monthly town hall meeting, a newsletter, or another medium, ensure that your employees are “in-the-know” when it comes to key business updates. Communicating important updates in a timely manner builds trust in the leaders and the business.
- Invest in your leaders and mentors across the business: The words of your leaders and mentors within the organization can carry a lot of weight when it comes to building culture and engaging employees. If you are in a position of leadership, support a mentee and/or your direct reports so that they, too, can mentor and develop others.
- Help employees develop their careers personally and professionally: At a time of great uncertainty, one thing that all employees can invest in is themselves. Encourage your employees to take courses and learn on the job and outside of the job so that they can continue to grow personally and professionally.
- Develop and nurture a “safe space”: It’s important for all employees to have a community where they can speak their minds freely and feel like they belong to the organization. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are a fantastic way to build connections between employees with common interests and backgrounds and, at the same time, foster more diversity, inclusion, and belonging throughout the organization.
- Encourage your people to give back: Your employees want to see your commitment to good social initiatives. Supporting a local initiative and giving back to the community can be an incredible way to remind people why you do what you do. Find nonprofit organizations tied to your business or help employees give back to the causes they care about most. Engaging employees for a greater purpose can be a powerful way for employees to remember why they love working for your company.
Thanks for the lessons, 2022. Here’s to a better year in 2023!
