Employee turnover can cost companies millions per year. Good managers work to reduce turnover by taking a step beyond business level conversation.
Employee turnover is not just a Human Resources Issue. When an employee leaves a company, the employee takes with him knowledge and experience, that which cannot be monetarily measured and that cannot be easily recreated. These are the little hints, tricks and history that relates to how to perform effectively and efficiently. Higher turnover can cost a company millions of dollars per year and can slow down productivity! It is important for managers to find ways to motivate and reward employees that don't break a budget line item, but still make the employee feel needed!
Most employees spend between 40 and 60 hours per week on the job and away from a family. Because of this, the workplace sometimes becomes almost like a second home. This is a huge amount of time and the last thing a good employee wants is to feel that time is wasted or has become inefficient.
Managers can make the difference! Although professional achievement goals are mentioned quite often in managerial handbooks; these handbooks don’t always make note of the small things that make coming to work a desired event. Humans enjoy interaction. Although bonding is a term that has been misused lately, this is exactly what a manager should encourage. Some workplaces are conservative and some are liberal. No matter the culture, the small things matter! If most of the employees enjoy playing ping pong, watching Judge Judy or like pizza, what better way to reward employees who contribute the most? A used ping pong table can cost fifty dollars – a used TV set can cost about the same and pizza can certainly cost less. Lunchtimes can be used to engage in some fun activities that relieve stress and encourage sharing.
The actual provision of these “fun” toys does not compare to the effort a manager takes to deliver the items. Employees need to feel needed and by having their manager go beyond goal setting and really become interested in the personal, fun activities contributes greatly to satisfaction in the workplace.
Of course – these fun activities, although they can have a positive impact, should not be the primary consideration in the workplace. After all – the employee does have work related goals that must be performed first and foremost. Managerial skills such as honesty, professionalism and communication are necessary. Honesty about the quality of work being performed, what new projects might be coming up and stability of the company is essential. Most employees are not children and don’t wish to be treated as such. Employees can handle many unstable or insecure situations as long as they have a good expectation of what might happen. Professionalism is a foundational factor for good managers. Playing one employee of the other or spreading gossip or treating one employee better than another will jeopardize good working relationships and will definitely decrease performance and job satisfaction. Communication is the method to share information, giving the manager a chance to put faith and trust in his employees and “rally the troops” to work towards a common goal.
The bottom line is that great managers do not just manage individual employees, but a group that must work as a cohesive unit. Proper management can create just this type of unit.
