Millennials get a bad rap for job hopping, but they’re not the only ones who may be looking for new opportunities in the first quarter.
As a business owner, how do you minimize disruption and maximize productivity as your employees come and go? Carol shares some tips in her recent post on the Nextiva blog, “How to Keep Productivity High with a Revolving Work Force.” Carol begins:
The economy is improving, which is good news for business owners. But, the job outlook is improving, too, to the point where good employees are at a premium. You have to face the fact that, according to early-2017 numbers, 22 percent of workers are planning to change jobs in 2017.
There is only so much that you can do to entice your team members to stay, so you need to be prepared to keep the work flow moving with an uncertain work force. Here are five techniques that can help keep productivity rolling regardless of head count.
1. First, try to stop the bleeding
Do you know why an employee has resigned? Granted, few employees are likely to burn their bridges on the way out, but a civilized exit interview can help provide clues. If they just want more money than you can afford, you might entice other employees to stay by offering at least a small raise.
If boredom is the issue, then you might be able to reinvigorate your remaining staff members by adding new responsibilities or finding other ways to keep them involved. Finally, employees might want to stay longer if you offer informal perks ranging from flex-time to leniency when they need to leave early for family issues.
2. Watch for leaks in productivity
When employees are working at peak efficiency without undue stress or wasted efforts, they are often more satisfied with their jobs — and they can do more even if you have to deal with new hires who are not up to full productivity yet. No one wants to spin their wheels with no apparent result and reduced productivity is often a sign of job satisfaction issues. Solicit their input to identify inefficient or unnecessary processes that should be revised or eliminated.
Don’t forget to check the employee work environment, as well. An inefficient layout can greatly affect the amount of time that it takes to get a job done. And, even a fresh coat of paint, a few potted plants and some happy artwork can lighten moods and increase output.
You can read the rest of the post here.