Hiring an employee is only half the battle. Keeping them on the payroll brings its own set of challenges. Employees change jobs more than ever before. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average worker stays 4.6 years with a company.
As a business owner, there are things you can do to help increase employee longevity at your company. Bob Rouse, chief program officer at TCIA, provides ideas to turn new hires into longtime employees.
Strong leadership
Being a good boss is easier said than done. Oftentimes you’re juggling so many responsibilities — accounting, human resources, sales — that leading your team can fall to the bottom of your list of priorities. Communication is a key piece of good leadership. Your employees don’t know what to expect if you don’t tell them. Follow-through is important, too. Make sure you do what you say you’re going to do. If you promise training opportunities, do it. If you require a weekly safety tailgate, do it. Employees will trust and respect you for keeping your word.
Detailed handbook
When a new or tenured employee has a question about their employment or the company, they should have a resource. A company handbook should include a mission statement, job descriptions, employee benefits and compensation, policies and procedures, disciplinary actions, performance reviews and growth plans. Creating a handbook may seem daunting; instead of writing one from scratch, find examples from industry associations like TCIA.
Training opportunities
Providing valuable training opportunities is a win-win. Your company gets the benefit of more knowledgeable workers, and your workers see you’re invested in their growth. Depending on the type of training, you could incentivize it by giving a raise upon completion.
Growth plan
A top reason employees leave a company is because they were promised the opportunity for a promotion but never received it. Others may never have had growth opportunities explained to them. A growth plan in the company handbook should include the requirements of a promotion and the benefits that come with it. Motivated workers want to climb the ladder; how can you help them do that?
Performance evaluation
Another important piece to retain employees is to let them know how they’re performing. Employees want feedback on their work. Set the frequency of evaluations to what works best for you — say monthly or quarterly — and stick to it.
Safety program
In the tree care industry, it’s critical to have your crews understand and implement safety best practices. Creating a safety manual and putting a safety program in place is a good way to do that. Employees will appreciate having their well-being as a top priority and the resources available to ensure it. An important part of a safety program is enforcement. If you don’t enforce it, employees won’t follow it.
Advice or suggestions provided by Mr. Rouse are statements of general applicability that may or may not apply to individual businesses, whose circumstances and operations may vary. The opinions of Mr. Rouse do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Vermeer Corporation, its dealers or its affiliates.