4 TIPS ON HOW TO RETAIN EMPLOYEES IN THE COVID-19 ERA
Retaining top talents was one of the most significant elements of a successful employee lifecycle even before the coronavirus pandemic. With the wave of uncertainty COVID-10 brought to the business and revenue, employee retention is essential.
Losing a hire is a lost opportunity to detect the issues in your organization and to identify what motivates your employee. Besides, it can also cost up to 213 percent of hourly for a highly trained position. But employee retention is critical in times of turmoil and difficulties due to already struggling with external issues, such as a deadly virus.
An organization that can satisfy their employees’ needs will have a workplace with blooming productivity, performance, and higher quality of work. - We present you four tips on how to improve your retention strategy and prevent employee turnover in the COVID-19 era.
1. Undertake mental well-being and overall satisfaction questionnaires
The pandemic triggers vulnerability and insecurities among employees, which can result in losing motivation, the will to attend work, and be productive. Therefore, it’s essential that your workers feel that you care about their health and that you can provide them with protective tools and support. A staff survey will help you identify whether your employees are struggling and how you can help them cope. Besides, these questionnaires will nurture continuous communication and the employer-employee relationship.
2. Provide flexible schedules and working hours
For months, there has been a sense of imminent danger due to coronavirus, which affects how one organizes their life, and it decreases the capacity to focus. While it’s crucial to keep your employees productive, remember that they are humans before being your workers. Demonstrate your understanding and care through offering tailored schedules and days-off. However, ensure that there is always sufficient staff to cover all assignments and work.
3. Offer remote work opportunities
Although some positions are hard to perform remotely, try to put some projects on the back burner or stagger work so that everyone has the opportunity to work from home. Remote work helps employees better organize their lives amidst a pandemic, and it also protects the workplace by having fewer people in the office and encouraging social distancing. Nevertheless, arrange policies that ensure that your workers are equally productive remotely, and their smooth return to office work once the situation allows it.
4. Nurture professional growth and performance
COVID-19 shouldn’t be an excuse to neglect the development of your workers because highly engaged employees are 87 percent less likely to leave their companies. That doesn’t change during a pandemic. No matter if most of your hires are still operating from the office or their homes, create opportunities for skills development and continuous learning. It’s recommendable that you embody these programs in eLearning workshops and online libraries. These projects can provide employees with knowledge that’s related to their job position, but it can also serve as a guide for the organization’s post-COVID-19 mission and their role in its journey.
