The One BIG SECRET To Retaining Great People
Copyright (c) 2006 Mr Sital Ruparelia
So what’s the real secret to retaining great people?
Well, it’s certainly NOT about pay and financial benefits.
In fact it’s quite the opposite – it’s what I refer to as
the ‘Non-Financial Benefits.’
Trying to sell a product as the cheapest on the market is a
difficult strategy to follow. It is better to focus on more
than just price and look at the other services and benefits
clients gain from doing business with you.
In a similar vein, you can never compete on being the best
payer in the market place (particularly as a small
business), so it is key that you are clear about all the
other reasons why people work for you, and then build these
factors into the way you then promote these to your current
and future employees.
In today’s economy, the real secret to retaining people is
about providing some fantastic Non-Financial Benefits.
Your employees today no longer want a “job for life” –
instead, they are looking for a “job with life.”
People want employment where they enjoy the job, the
people, and the environment and yet can still enjoy a great
lifestyle away from work.
Here are 7 sure-fire ways to retain your best people using
Non-Financial Benefits:
1. Work with clients & customers who are a joy to work with
- Clients who are difficult and rude will drain both you
and your team - So tackle these customers and politely
invite them to change their behaviour – or else change take
their custom elsewhere - Having a client base that
appreciates and respects your team has a huge impact on
your team’s motivation and loyalty towards your business
2. Create a great physical environment - Is your working
environment clean, comfortable and well lit? Is it well
heated in the winter and air-conditioned in the summer? -
Does the design and décor inspire you and the team? - Look
at what you can change to make your premises a more
comfortable and inspiring place to work.
3. Provide The Right Tools To Do The Job - Do your
computers, printers, tools and equipment support your team
in doing a great job and providing a great service to your
patients? - Look at what tools need repairing, updating or
replacing so that your team becomes more efficient and gets
more job satisfaction.
4. Offer opportunities for flexible working - Do you offer
flexible working options to help your team achieve a better
work-life balance? - Be creative in offering people the
chance to work 9-day fortnights, maybe hours to fit around
their children and hobbies or provide the option to take
half a day off periodically once a month. Whatever fits in
with the operation of your business.
5. Offer “Special Leave” options - Asda, the UK supermarket
chain, offers staff “School Starter leave” for parents
wishing to accompany their children on their first day at
school, “IVF leave” for those having fertility treatment
and “Benidorm leave” for older workers seeking winter sun -
one of the reasons why they are regularly voted as one of
The Sunday Times “100 Best Companies To Work For” list. -
What type of “special leave” can you offer your team so
that you keep your best staff with minimal impact on
operation of your business?
6. Create a positive atmosphere & have some fun - Do you
have negative team members who impact on the morale and
atmosphere of your more productive team members? - Make it
a priority to sit these people down, offer some
constructive feedback and request a change in behaviour. -
How often do you go out socially as a team? - How often do
you and your team enjoy pointless laughter, wind-ups and
banter whilst at work? - Lighten up, arrange regular nights
out and make sure that people come to work not just to pay
the bills – but because they enjoy working for you.
7. Offer Genuine Appreciation - As human beings we crave
appreciation – particularly in the work environment. - So
make it a point to regularly tell your people how much you
appreciate their hard work and value their contribution. -
I suppose, when talking about the “secrets to retaining
great people” – this last point really is “the secret.” If
your team truly feels valued and appreciated then this a
huge step towards retaining their services into the longer
term. So make it a priority to create a fabulous working
environment where your team can work with clients and
colleagues they enjoy being with. An environment where
their hard work is valued and appreciated. But a work place
which still afford them the freedom and flexibility to
enjoy their lives away from work.
The stronger the non-financial benefits of working for you,
the less sensitive your team become to financial factors
such as pay and bonuses. All of which means that you can
retain your staff into the longer term with minimal cost.
So looking at this list above, what ONE change would have
the biggest impact on your staff retention figures - but
require the least amount of effort to implement?
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Sital Ruparelia, the “Recruitments & Retention Specialistâ€
works with small businesses that struggle with recruitment
and retention issues and helps them implement strategies
proven to Find and Keep The Right People consistently.
Sital writes a FREE newsletter twice a month with tips on
how to Find And Keep The Right People. To sign up now,
visit http://www.authenticresourcing.com
