I attended an HR meeting last year and one of the things we discussed was how businesses can retain their employees. One comment was that people don’t leave a job, they leave a manager!

There are all sorts of managers and business owners out there…some good…some bad.  They might be great at their chosen career, but not very good when their business grows, and they have to manage other people.  It’s more difficult than they think.

There are all sorts of benefits that come with a job such as a good pension, career prospects, nice salary, but if the way you communicate with and appreciate your employees is lacking, then your employees aren’t going to be happy, and will soon leave to work elsewhere.  Money isn’t everything it seems.

I was in one job where the mentality was more about saying when things were wrong,rather than praising when things were done well; or giving incentives but when they went too much in my favour, the parameters were changed.  I could go on!  At times I was very unhappy, which impacted on my mental health.  Luckily for me now,my boss (that’s me!) is great…I work hard but I can go home early if I want and this also allows me to be more flexible with clients.

There is a saying that “the rot starts at the top” so how could you appreciate your employees more?  

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1 Give your staff their birthday off, even if they take it on another day that week.  It might seem insignificant, but it will be very much appreciated

2 Organise some days out purely for fun…a day trip to the beach (I always think of the annual summer outing in ‘Carry on at your Convenience’), to an adventure park or paintballing

3 Have a weekly or monthly donut/cake day

4 Organise a Christmas party and/or a summer BBQ

5 Treat them like a human being.  If they have had a day off, check that they are feeling better when they return; ask after their family; find out their interests

6 Provide a fruit basket for people to help themselves to

7 Have some plants in the office..it will help absorb carbon dioxide and increase oxygen levels, and create a nicer environment

8 Give them a spontaneous half day off

9 Organise well-being days where you arrange for a massage therapist or hypnotherapist to visit for a day and give your employees some well-deserved relaxation or pampering

All of these ideas will create a much nicer environment for your employees to work and thrive in, so what are you going to do?

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