7 Ways to Retain Top Talent at Your Organization

Retention strategies are ever-changing, and if organizations don’t know how to adapt correctly, they will lose top qualified candidates to their competitors. Maintaining top talent involves both recruiting the right candidates and holding on to them once hired. 

Here we have outlined seven excellent ways to improve your retention efforts to stay ahead of your competitors. 

7 Strategies for Retaining Top Talent:

1. Promote a Positive Culture

Employers should always seek to promote a positive workplace culture. A positive culture can increase employee satisfaction and boost engagement. A recent Gallup poll found that just 36% of employees feel engaged while at work, and 15% feel actively disengaged.

This introduces a significant opportunity for employers to boost their team engagement. Employees are more likely to enjoy their time in the workplace and recommend others to work for your organization if they fit in with the company culture. 

Take time to reassess your company values and goals, and use them to create opportunities for employee engagement. Update your company website to define your mission and values, and show your employees you care by including pictures of team events as well. 

Remember that company culture should ideally support a productive and positive work environment.

2. Encourage Strong Work-Life Balance

It can be all too easy for employees to overwork themselves and burn out. Many times this stems directly from a lack of work-life balance. 

Employers must recognize the importance of work-life balance and devote resources to ensuring employees take advantage of these opportunities. Encourage employees to utilize time off opportunities or offer flexible hours. 

Employers should also encourage employees to take breaks throughout the day to give themselves space from their work to recuperate. Encourage team lunches and chances for employees to step away from work intentionally. Breaks are necessary, and the chances of burnout will increase when they are not properly taken.

3. Maintain Transparent Communication

Transparency is a crucial element of any successful organization. For it to be successful,  communication must be clear and well received. To do this, you need to intentionally communicate information in a way that is both informative and accessible. Holding a lunch-and-learn or a monthly companywide update can be an excellent method to reach the ears of all of your employees. 

Another way to improve transparency is by requesting employee feedback using a survey. Transparent communication sets up a sense of respect between management and team members. When employees are purposefully exposed to the goings-on of the organization, it shows them the organization cares about their questions, input, and contributions. 

4. Recruit for Retention  

Retention relies on strong recruitment practices. You should have a list of qualities you are looking for during the recruitment process. These qualities should indicate future success, performance, and whether the candidate will fit within your culture. 

A great applicant who doesn’t fit your culture may leave your organization more quickly than candidates who mesh with your team.

Top talent is not easy to come by. The market is competitive, and employers look for every conceivable way to win over the best candidates. But this doesn't mean you should settle. If you find a candidate who is an excellent fit for your organization, express that to them. Show them how your organization would benefit their growth and career. 

Aside from a good fit, employers should also look for indicators that an employee will stay the course long-term with your organization. Here are a few examples of what to look for:

• Lengthy stays at their previous organizations

• Long-time volunteer efforts

• Membership in organizations or on boards

Recognizing indicators of longevity in new hires can save your organization both time and money. 

5. Offer Competitive Benefits 

Benefits have become much more important as organizations compete for talent. While there are ways to bring in candidates aside from benefits, you still need to be competitive to rope in top talent. Some examples of benefits to offer include:

• Commuter benefits

• Virtual medical care

• HSAs

• EAPs

• Unlimited PTO

• Hybrid work environments

• Paid parental leave

• Fertility benefits

• Mental health benefits

• Workplace flexibility

By investing in benefits that employees want, you can allocate resources and funds toward bringing in top talent that you feel confident in retaining for years to come. 

6. Show Your Appreciation

Employees are the foundation of every organization, and without them, operations would cease. Employees must be acknowledged in the workplace because if they feel unnoticed or unappreciated, it can lead to frustration and burnout. These factors are likely to negatively impact productivity, potentially affecting team morale. 

Aside from the potential repercussions, a lack of employee appreciation is bad business practice. To maintain a well-cultured workplace, take time to reward employees for jobs well done. This goes beyond acknowledgment by showing genuine appreciation. Even something small, such as an intentional email expressing gratitude to the employee, can make a big difference in an employee's frame of mind.

7. Provide Training and Continued Learning Opportunities

One of the most important benefits you can offer to your employees is a personalized method for growth. Every employee is different and will require different tools to help them succeed. 

By offering an employee the option to learn in a number of ways, you are giving them the training that best matches their needs and preferences. These learning opportunities will send a message to your employees about the organization’s culture. A strong culture offers the best foundation for retention. 

Remember that by granting employees an opportunity for education, you are telling them you care enough about their progress to invest time and energy into helping them get there. It is a win-win for employees who feel wanted and have an excellent opportunity to improve their skill sets and benefit their careers. 

Employee retention will always be a process that needs improvement. This is because the job market is ever-changing, and employees want new and different benefits as society progresses. But learning to adapt and follow the correct methods will help your organization maintain top talent and stay one step ahead of your competition. 

Additional Resources

You can also stay informed, educated, and up-to-date with retention strategies and other important topics by using BerniePortal’s comprehensive resources:

• BerniePortal Blog—a one-stop-shop for HR industry news

• HR Glossary—featuring the most common HR terms, acronyms, and compliance

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• BernieU—free online HR courses, approved for SHRM and HRCI recertification credit

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