The Secret to Retain Employees? Build a Great Place to Work

Smart companies make employee retention a high priority to attract and retain talent. In our previous blogs, we have shown that employee retention goes beyond cool office perks.

So what lies behind nurturing a work environment that helps hire and retain the best people in business? When companies receive the ‘great place to work’ labelling, it is because they do their best to include their employees’ needs and invest in these important principles:

Responsibility

An employee’s responsibility is one of the best drivers for organisational success. Employees who feel a direct link to company performance will be better motivated to produce high-quality work and seek opportunities to go the extra mile.

Define clear responsibilities and requirements for each employee role and allow your people to see the lasting impact their role has on the organisation. Use career milestones and concrete metrics to help employees work towards greater success.

Flexibility

Employees value flexibility in the workplace and the opportunities offered by the company to take time off and unplug from their daily work routine. Work-life balance is important for employees to recharge and become more productive when returning to work.

Provide flexible work arrangements such as work from home, flexible work hours, and generous holidays and vacation time. In return, employees will respond by being more energetic and productive at work.

Growth

Aside from responsibility, employees want to know that they are trusted and appreciated by management in their current position while being allowed to take the initiative and grow further in their career prospects.

Trust your employees to do their best work effectively without micromanaging and limiting their time, initiatives and workflow. Show interest in their work and be open to provide further guidance if needed and discuss growth prospects.

Diversity

Some of the best organisations in the world have a positive culture of diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and ideas in the workplace. In South Africa, hiring across different age groups, genders, and ethnic backgrounds promotes fairness and honesty.

Treat everyone equally and fairly in the workplace to develop a culture of openness, tolerance and individual appreciation, which will help in building a strong foundation to attract and retain talent for the future.

Professional Sourcing is a top-tier South African-based recruitment agency operating internationally, IPM accredited, LEVEL 2 BEE RATED and 51% Black-Owned.

Our agency specialises in professional placements (senior and specialist talent) and exclusive skills recruitment to a wide range of industries, including JSE’s top 100 companies, SMEs and the Public Sector.