Retaining Your Best Employees
“To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability” (Matthew 25:15).
The Struggle is Real
When we are blessed enough to have the privilege of employees, we come to appreciate the challenge in recruiting and retaining great people. In the digital climate of today, it can be as difficult to find and keep great employees as it is for great employees to find jobs. The computerized application process, AI sorting of applicants, and code-word algorithms make it almost impossible for great people to find great places to work.
Once that magic pairing takes place, ensuring that the process will not need to be repeated again in a few months becomes critical. It is cost-prohibitive to manage excessive employee turnover, but few business owners take the time to learn how to maximize both employee productivity and employee satisfaction. It is this synthesis that leads to long-term, fulfilled, and effective people who then help the business grow and succeed.
Proper Alignment of Talents and Tasks
Proverbs encourages us to raise our children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). A similar mindset can help our employees thrive. The proverb teaching takes into account the individual abilities, temperaments, and personalities of our children. We are to raise them “according to their bent” or according to the way they were created. I would never try to raise my introverted, bookish child to become the captain of the football team or encourage my sanguine athlete to spend her free time alone in the library. This would lead to boredom and restlessness in both children. This same approach will keep our employees from a similar fate. For front-facing, client-focused roles, be certain to hire someone who loves interacting with people, maintains a professional demeanor, and is quick on her feet. If an employee is reliable, trustworthy, and great with numbers, but struggles with public speaking or leading a meeting, find a place in your organization that will allow her strengths to shine without making her weaknesses front and center.
Employers hear a great deal about employee burnout, but boredom is equally as detrimental. When employees are bored, they are often misplaced, under-challenged, or lack purpose. Paying attention to these signs and helping employees alter the environment will help in securing long-term commitment.
The Value of True Recognition
Many believe that money is the main reason people leave jobs, but in actuality, studies show that only 1 out of 10 leaves for financial reasons. The reasons that outpace income are a lack of career path, lack of resources for success, failure to appreciate that employees have a personal life, and lack of affirmation.
What exactly is meant by affirmation? Everyone wants to feel they are making a difference, so be sure to give employees a chance to see where they impact the overall success of the company. Too often employers attempt to make employees feel valued through cheesy recognition programs or the now-infamous pizza parties. True recognition is demonstrating to each individual how their work matters. When that is done in front of other employees, managers, and even family members, a sense of worth and value results.
Respect for Employees as Human Beings
No one will ever be as devoted to our businesses as we are. No one. This point must be fully understood and respected before hiring for any positions within the company. While business owners may be willing to give up certain life activities to see the business grow, expecting employees to do the same will cause the loss of both bottom line and eventually, the employee.
We are not compartmentalized robots, but our human identity is a fully integrated corporal and spiritual being, created in the image of an integrated God. We should not attempt to separate ourselves. When we see employees as valuable for who they are and not for what they produce for our business, we will naturally grow in our compassion for their lives outside of work and how that ultimately impacts their ability to do a job well. Remain flexible and willing to help employees through difficult times. That willingness to support them comes back to the employer as loyalty dedication.
This does not mean that we should not have high expectations of our employees or create parameters for success. On the contrary, it is precisely those accountability structures that nurture employee satisfaction; however, when hitting those benchmarks becomes more important than the people themselves, we have lost sight of what is most important. We must know what is happening in the lives of our employees when they are not in the office, and allow them to have a personal life without apology.
The Right Order of Things
We can glorify God through our business, and one of the most impactful ways is through bringing opportunities for work to those who seek it and then becoming an instrument through which God can grow their gifts and talents. In Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Letter on the 80th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, he gives employers a proper perspective on the value of work and our role in fostering an environment that not only keeps people working, but enriches their lives and gives glory to God:
“As the Church solemnly reaffirmed in the recent Council, 'the beginning, the subject and the goal of all social institutions is and must be the human person.' All people have the right to work, to a chance to develop their qualities and their personalities in the exercise of their professions, to equitable remuneration which will enable them and their families 'to lead a worthy life on the material, social, cultural and spiritual level' and to assistance in case of need arising from sickness or age.”
Profits matter. Without profit, businesses fail and employees lose their jobs. However, profits cannot supersede humanity. May every employer take on the role of providing such a workplace as Pope Paul VI describes and by doing so, participate with God in the growth of human souls and not solely in the business of making higher profits.
Laryn Weaver is a Catholic writer and speaker whose current focus is a ministry of availability and prayer. Her greatest joys are her marriage, her adult children, and her four grandbabies! Find out more about Laryn at larynweaver.com.