One of the most challenging issues for an owner is finding new staff when someone leaves.
Hiring a new staff member is time-consuming and costly. The best way to limit turnover is to minimize it as much as possible. Determine why people are leaving, see any trends, and work to improve those areas. Having a good workplace culture will also help decrease your turnover.
As the owner of a physiotherapy practice, when someone leaves, it is usually because they are going to open their own clinic, they are moving, or they are retiring. Very few make a lateral move. All of them mention the family atmosphere of our clinic, and many become emotional when they inform me of their decision.
I recall two physiotherapists who came into my office together to say they were leaving as they had purchased a clinic. They were both in tears and were concerned about how I was feeling. They had decided to wait until after Christmas to tell me. I was excited about their new opportunities, and at the same time, I was sad to no longer be working with them. However, we have continued our relationship and regularly meet to discuss business issues. This underscores, once again, the importance of taking Micah 6:8 to work.
"What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)
Do you think there is a problem with turnover in your business? If so, it is essential to determine a strategy to reduce it? Five suggestions from Netsuite include:
hiring the right people
keeping up with the market rate by offering competitive salaries & total compensation
closely monitoring toxic employees
rewarding & recognizing employees, and
offering flexibility.
Please consider our tips below on each of these five strategies listed above.
1. Hire the right people.
This seems obvious, but taking the time to ensure the potential new hire and your business are “a match” is crucial. Be careful when you are feeling anxious about being short staffed as this may affect your decision making.
A good tip: allow a staff person who is in a similar role to be part of the interview process. What are other things you can do to ensure you are hiring the right person?
2. Keep up with the market rate and offer competitive salaries and total compensation.
This is especially true if you have been in business for a long time. What your think is fair may no longer be competitive. When you are interviewing, and offering contracts, listen well to what potential staff are saying.
A good tip: take time to make sure you are current with trends in your business at least on a yearly basis. Talk to other business owners about their experiences. What are other things you can do to be current with your industry’s market rate?
3. Closely monitor toxic employees.
Toxic employees demonstrate characteristics such as being very critical, regularly complaining, regularly gossiping and being self-centered. They can push high achievers out of the organization so keep an eye out for them.
A good tip: address issues when they arise if you see someone is exhibiting this kind of behavior. Have a conversation to discuss what has happened and how it is not acceptable. Make sure you also address how they are doing as they may be having difficulty and are not actually aware they are having a negative effect in the workplace. What are other things you can do to monitor for toxic employees and address this?
4. Reward and recognize employees.
When I did a survey to my staff on what motivates them, one of the top things was being acknowledged. A good salary was important, but so was being appreciated.
A good tip: make sure you are taking every opportunity to acknowledge the good job(s) that your staff are doing. It can be personally and privately or it can be in a staff meeting. It can be bringing them a cup of coffee with a card that says thank you or a gift. Simple “thank you” notes of appreciation, giving staff members new opportunities and positive feedback are great ways to recognize people. What can you start doing this week to show appreciation to your staff?
5. Offer flexibility.
According to Flexjobs, about 30% of workers reported leaving a job because it did not offer flexible work options, and another 80% said they would be more loyal to their company if they had flexible work options.
A good tip: explore options that will work for your company and your employee. Be open to ideas. Just because we have always “done things a certain way” does not mean it has to continue. COVID has certainly taught us a lot on how the workplace can function under different circumstances. What can you do this week to be open to different options that will work for your business and your employee(s)?
Many issues requiring improvement to decrease employee turnover can be categorized under the wisdom of Micah 6:8:
Do the right thing for your staff, be kind to each person, monitor your workplace culture, and pray for wisdom to effectively manage your business.
May God richly bless you as you monitor your work culture for possible high turnover. And I pray that you will also enjoy your work environment fully as you take Micah 6:8 to work!
Have a great week!
Bonny, Christian Women at Work