Your company leaders set the tone for your entire organization. If you want a strong company culture and employees who thrive and grow, then you need to focus on the business management protocols that create a staff filled with confidence.
But what form, shape and intent should these management protocols take?
In this article, you’ll learn why more staff are quitting (quiet or otherwise), and ways to prevent that by instituting the right SOPs for your firm.
Why Do So Many Employees Leave Their Jobs?
The Work Institute predicts 35% of employees will leave their jobs each year by 2023 to work elsewhere. When you lose employees, it costs your company money to recruit and train someone new.
The costs vary but you’ll spend at least a few thousand filling open positions and the report estimates $15,000 per worker needing replaced.
People leave their jobs for many reasons, including higher pay, more respect, flexible hours and company culture. If you want to keep your top employees, you should focus on a few key management protocols to help your staff and your productivity rise.
1. Engage Employees
People have a tendency to become familiar with their positions and grow bored. Doing the same thing day in and out for months or years on end gets tedious. Find ways to keep your workers engaged.
Let them pitch new ideas to you. Give them creative freedom on a project. Have staff rotate jobs and cross-train.
Some positions will be a challenge but everyone benefits when their co-workers can step up and fill the gap during key times.
2. Invest in Tools
Management should lean toward buying new tools and technology so people can do their jobs efficiently. It’s frustrating to not have the tools you need to be productive.
In some instances, the tools might involve a new computer. In others, it might mean investing in a shredder or other special piece of equipment.
For example, if your staff worries about security with sensitive documents, purchasing a cross-cut shredder chops paper into tiny pieces and ensures that those with fraud in mind can’t retrieve information from the paper.
Talk to your workers about what might make their jobs easier. Find the solutions that work and implement them.
3. Find Consistency
Your management protocols should ensure consistency no matter who is in charge. If one manager has people complete tasks and check them off, but another says workers don’t have to check off anything, you aren’t offering a consistent management style.
Why do you have the policies you do? If you have a good reason, everyone in leadership will see the importance of following protocol. Workers will know what to expect.
4. Celebrate Efforts
As more and more teams go to a remote work environment, make sure you remember to celebrate the efforts of all your employees. Researchers looked at the largest employers and found remote opportunities increased 4% and should hit 25% of all jobs by 2025.
Thank a worker for noticing a problem that needs fixing. Send them a gift card to their favorite restaurant. Give them an extra paid half-day to take a mental health break. Look for rewards they’ll value.
5. Offer Clear Communication
One issue some companies have is lack of communication. Make sure everyone is on the same page by holding regular scrum meetings. Keep leaders apprised of changes so they can share important details with their teams.
You should also have a way to disperse info so everyone has it. Don’t always rely on a Zoom meeting to get your point across. Sometimes, a quick email is more effective and makes sure everyone is on the same page. People can also refer back to written communication if they feel confused over facts.
Audit Your Current Protocols
Take some time to look at current methods and see what’s working and what isn’t. Make any adjustments needed to improve your management style.
With a little work and feedback from your staff, you’ll have a happy, productive company culture.
Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.
