Hiring managers in every industry are having the same issue – attracting and keeping their star employees. Competition for talent is fierce. The good news is that studies show part of this issue – the leaving part – is mostly avoidable.
It comes down to one word: culture. Company culture can be difficult to define, but you know it when you feel it. A healthy company culture is warm. It’s a place where you belong, where you can be your full self, where you can take risks and be recognized positively when they prove worthwhile and learn when they don’t. A positive culture recognizes the employee as a person, with feelings, needs, and a life outside of the office.
Creating and maintaining a healthy company culture has never been more critical. It’s consistently moving up the list of most important company attributes when deciding where to work. Unfortunately, a recent Gallup study shows only two in 10 U.S. employees feeling truly connected to their organization’s culture. Yikes! Why should employers strive to be the two here, and not the other 80%?
The same Gallup study shares when employees feel a strong connection to their organization’s culture, incredible things happen:
- They are 3.7 times more likely to be engaged at work.
- They are 68% less likely to experience burnout.
- They are 5.2 times more likely to recommend their organization as a great place to work.
- They are 55% less likely to seek job opportunities elsewhere.
Every aspect of the employee’s experience at their workplace is viewed through the lens of company culture. One employee working 50 hours/week may say they are changing the world, with their amazing colleagues. Another working the same number of hours may complain that their employer doesn’t value a work/life balance. Company culture shapes the perspective.
One way to improve company culture is through recognition. When an employee is recognized, they feel they are part of something bigger than themselves. Take beCAUSE minded as an example. An employee who does fulfillment isn’t just packing orders. They are an integral part of the team who shapes the recipient’s experience. A broken mug isn’t going to help us get a repeat customer. Their role is integral to our company’s growth. And when our company grows, sex trafficking survivors have employment, little girls in developing countries have schools, and people with disabilities learn job skills.
Our fulfillment team may know all of this intellectually, but they won’t feel that unless their supervisor takes proactive steps to show them.
There are several ways to show appreciation to your employees, and thus, increase your employee retention. Here are a few to get your mind going!
1. Create a strong corporate gifting program.
Celebrating both work and personal milestones are important. Creating a system for corporate gifts ensures you won’t only send gifts when it’s a slow time of year. You can’t make up for a year of low recognition with a ton in Q4. Celebrating personal milestones also helps show the employee you care about them as an individual. For more info, check out this blog on 3 Milestones You Should be Celebrating.
2. Share feedback in a shared communication channel, such as Slack or Teams. Use emojis. 🎉🙌🏾👏🏼
Words of affirmation are another important love language. Not only does this show appreciation to your employee, but it also shows the rest of your team individual contributions are noticed. After all, a strong team is made up of strong employees.
3. Provide a meal.
This works great when you are all together, and you can share some quality time and a meal, but it can work for remote teams as well. Consider sending a meal via Doordash when an employee is up against a deadline. It ensures they’re getting the nutrition they need, without expending brainpower to figure out what’s for lunch.
By increasing the frequency and quality of your employee appreciation, you’ll improve your retention, productivity, and be on your way to having those 20% of employees who feel truly connected to their organization’s culture.
Does your company have a positive company culture? What do they do that sets them apart?
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