It's every human resources manager's worst nightmare: the top talent leaves and then everyone else follows, one by one.
It's easy to see why it happens; many staff members invest quite a bit into following the top talent of a business, even if they aren't in a committed mentor-mentee relationship. They look to this person for guidance and when he or she leaves, they suspect that something has gone awry. They may even believe that the company won't survive without the individual. You can fight this perception, but it takes planning and hard work. Here are the two top ways to keep your favorite employees.
Employees must know that their contributions are valued. Knowing that they are valued within the company reassures them that they have a future with the company, thus affording them a stronger sense of stability. It also indicates to employees that they have growth potential; even if employees are not necessarily satisfied with their current salary, benefits or responsibilities, they can be satisfied with their career trajectories. This gives employees goals to shoot for.
In all, valuing your employees builds a sense of relationship and a bond between them and the company, lessening the chance that they may "jump ship" after other talent departs.
There are always those who will see ominous portent in any dramatic change. When top talent leaves, employees may guess that something has gone wrong in the company or that there are better positions elsewhere. They may not realize there are personal reasons at play or that the top talent may simply have a unique opportunity that he or she needs to follow. But a company that has a reputation for transparency and honesty in its dealings will not inspire as much paranoia and fear as a company that plays its decisions close to the vest.
Although you can't educate staff members on the choices your talent makes, you can make sure that they are consistently involved in any big changes that occur around the company, and you can open your door to any of their concerns.
Retaining staff is all about building trust and transparency. People rarely want to leave a position; they will only leave if they feel uncertain about a company's future or their role within it. By reassuring them of their value to the company and by creating lasting, personal relationships, you can avoid losing staff members to tumultuous and unexpected events.
At Artisan Talent, we offer the advice that HR managers and executives need to keep their staffs committed and productive. Contact us today and follow our blog for more advice.
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