Ten Reasons Great People Stay – Effective Strategies to Retain Great Employees

Oct 24, 2019 | Blog

HR Image Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce

By Brenda James, HR/Staffing/Business Development Strategist

There’s so much good information available about why great employees stay at their companies and probably just as much as to why they leave.  There’s not one single answer, but a combination of several things. A recent article from greatgame.com sites a good list of the 10 reasons why people stay. To recap, they are:

  1. To stay part of something special
  2. Work has purpose and meaning
  3. Their personal contribution makes a difference
  4. They are recognized and respected
  5. They work with talented co-workers
  6. They are encouraged and mentored to achieve their full potential
  7. They are emotionally invested in the work and the company
  8. They trust the leadership
  9. The culture is irreplaceable
  10. They are fairly compensated

THREE FOUNDATIONAL STRATEGIES TO RETAIN GREAT EMPLOYEES

With all of these reasons why great employees stay in mind, I’ve narrowed my list down to three strategies that I’ve found works as a good foundation to build on with all of your employees.

  1. Get to know your team as individuals and find out the reasons they want to work and stay with your company. It could be any of the 10 reasons listed above, a combination of them or none of them at all. Knowing what drives the individual allows you to tailor their work assignments and goals while giving you direction on how to coach them and provide opportunities to bring out their best.
  2. Value their ideas and input and ensure that they feel included. Inclusion is a buzzword today for a reason.  People are hard-wired to be part of something; to belong. No one wants to feel marginalized on the sidelines.
  3. Keep the lines of communication open and check in regularly and consistently to see how they are progressing, what is changing for them and what you can do to support them.

Brenda James is a GHWCC Board Member and has over 20 years of leadership experience building high performing recruiting and sales teams.  She strives to hire people who are passionate about their purpose, coupled with a desire to carry out the mission and achieve goals. She helps to craft a workplace culture that fosters and rewards a willingness to go the extra mile to solve problems for the organization and its stakeholders. (Information taken from: https://www.greatgame.com/blog/top-ten-reasons-great-employees-stay)