Hiring and retention are at the forefront of employers’ headaches right now. With The Great Resignation of 2021, workers quit at record rates. Here are some ways to retain the valuable staff you already have.
Make the first day on the job memorable
You should always be visibly excited when you welcome new members to your team. Before your new hire’s first day, create an onboarding document to help guide them through their first shift. We suggest giving your new hire a copy of your mystery shopping report and ask them to conduct a mystery shop before they are introduced to the staff. This gives your new hire the customer’s perspective, which is exactly what they should be focused on. After a staff introduction ask one of your star players to be their “buddy” during their first week on the job to show how much you value their initial experiences on your team.
Keep communication open
If you use a communication platform at your business, make sure to constantly engage with your team. Use it to update them on important workplace news like onboarding new hires, mystery shopping reports or a change in their employee handbooks.
Having great communication across your team is vital to a happy and healthy workplace. The more communication you have, the better you’ll be able to provide what your staff needs to stay at your business.
Identify any stressors and eliminate them
Your staff have dealt with impatient customers. Your middle management staff always juggles many responsibilities. Many of your staff may also be a full-time student or a single mom. Work-life balance is essential for your team. Without having time for their personal lives or time to destress from overwhelming situations, retaining them can get difficult.
If you notice any of your team members falling behind during their shift, or seeming more tired than they usually are at the end of their shift, they could be burning out. Check in with your staff frequently to make sure you’re in the know of any pressing frustrations or setbacks that are affecting their performance and morale. Then you can help work through them with your team, letting them know that they have a voice in their career at your business.
Encourage opportunities for growth
Having no career development is one of the key reasons why many employees quit their jobs. Make sure you can help pave the way for your team to learn and grow. Giving your employees the right tools to progress to their career goals highlights the potential for them to progress at work – which will make them more likely to be retained.
Have “stay” interviews
You’ve heard of exit interviews before. But stay interviews are for an entirely opposite purpose. As turnover is no stranger to the service industry, you want to make sure you can reach out to employees who seem dissatisfied.
If you can sense an employee’s possible resignation on the way, book some time for a 1:1 with them. Ask them how work is going, and what’s going well for them. Then dive deeper into your conversation and ask them what’s not going well for them at work.
If you’re willing to receive feedback from unhappy employees, the more they’ll value their relationship with you and feel heard. And, you can put their feedback into action and make your business a better workplace for them.
Make the long term possible
As holiday rushes give you an upturned influx of customers, you need to make sure you do everything to support your team, or you’ll risk losing them. Help them work through stressful situations with great communication and you’ll be on your way to retaining them for the long haul.
BY Sarah Niderost and Carl Phillips
