Companies need to redirect their efforts to human resources acquisition if they want to increase productivity and strengthen competitiveness in a constantly growing and diverse market.  Getting and keeping competent and trained personnel are key to encourage commitment and minimize employer turnover.

Constant change of personnel affects the stability and confidence.  It also affects the progress of projects, reduces teamwork efforts and decreases the morale of employees that witness the departure of coworkers who used to be part of different departments within the company.  

However, your company does need top talent and needs to understand the skills that are sought in the potential personnel.  You are looking for employees who are agile, learn quickly, collaborate, who are passionate and loyal about the company and service.    Below, some are mentioned:

Offering Good Work Conditions and Stability

Employees spend the majority of their time in a company and their desire is to enjoy their work shift and receive a fair retribution for their dedication.  This retribution should cover their basic needs, represented in health care and other social benefits, working facilities in good conditions, incentives, etc.   Fair working contracts, economic satisfaction, stability in the organization are pillars that reassure talented employees to stay in the company.

A company can also listen to their employees concerns, be open and receive new ideas.  Availability for guidance is great help for the personnel, and this will allow employees to be informed of what is going on.

Also provide a great working environment where employees do not feel stressed or tense.  No one enjoys working in a place with impossible workloads and nonsensical pressure.  Desertion is the only option employees consider trying to look for better conditions in another company.  

Your personnel is your greatest asset

It is not easy to find qualified, talented and motivated employees.  So when a company finds them, it is important to retain them. Workers grow in experience and knowledge in the job they perform.  After a while, they become more skilled and help organizational processes take less time.   They become even more necessary when the task they accomplish is very specialized or vital for the company.   That is why these “human resources” should be preserved and their potential should be used for the company’s benefit.  

Image courtesy of Nathan Stephens at Flickr.com

Image courtesy of Nathan Stephens at Flickr.com

  • To retain these individuals, their potential should be appreciated and their input considered.  
  • Empower them delegating functions that they execute and train them to optimize them.  
  • Encourage new goals, projects and functions to avoid monotony in the workplace.  
  • Rules and policies are also important to create a working environment that is healthy for all the staff.  There will be situations that require exigency, discipline and challenge to reach organizational goals.
  • Facilitate tools to your employees so they can do their job in the best conditions, where they can feel safe and motivated to work.
  • Teach them the vision of the organization so they can understand organizational goals, have a sense of belonging and participate in the organization’s financial and organizational growth.
  • Destroy barriers of communication and animosity by providing spaces for gatherings, meetings, sports competitions, field trips, festivals and other kind of relaxing activities.  
  • Detect those individuals that are having a negative attitude towards the company or the personnel.  Dealing with them can create a change of attitude before deciding to ask them to leave the company.

Encourage Personal and Professional Development

Employees are, above all, human beings that want to develop their skills and reach their highest potential.  Companies should understand that and should develop programs that promote continuous learning and education.  Let employees know that the company cares about their professional development and offers available opportunities for them to grow professionally and in the company as well, based on their own merits.  If possible, if there are vacancies in the company, allow same the personnel from the organization to be promoted and fill those posts.  

Reward achievements and good work

A company should implement a reward policy that could be translated into monetary incentives, public recognition or other kind of compensation.  This approach encourages employees to work and perform better, to cultivate values and good attitudes such as loyalty and to achieve even more challenging goals.  Employees have the need of feeling appreciated and valuable. Salary is not the only thing that makes employees appreciated.  If they feel the other way around, underestimated and worthless, they will likely look for another job.  

Retaining employees has become challenging for companies because human resources are key to achieving corporate objectives, competitiveness and productivity in the market. There has been a misconception regarding what it takes to retain talented employees.  Certainly it takes more than a raise.  It takes appreciating employees’ efforts, acknowledging good performance, offer personal and professional development options to make of your company a desirable place to work.