One of the main foundations of any successful company is attracting the best possible talent for your organization. However, what is also important is to ensure that these top employees do not feel tempted to leave the company for one reason or another, especially when their skills are needed at a crucial time. Consequently, one of the other major foundations of a company’s success that both HR professionals and managers need to be aware of is employee loyalty. A loyal employee will be more likely to put in the extra effort needed to get the job done, and will be more likely to work well with co-workers, thus increasing overall office morale. This can make for a better and more productive business. However, loyalty should not be seen as unconditional or guaranteed, it is something that is earned. Below are a few steps one can take to make sure their employees are loyal and therefore likely to remain with the organization.
Put more time and effort into the process of hiring
The hiring process can be an arduous one for HR professionals, but the extra effort put into finding the right person for the job can pay off. Looking at a job candidate’s personality to see if their outlook fits with that of the organization and its culture will be a good method, as a worker who shares company values is likely to be more loyal. Moreover, new hires that are well-matched for the position are likely to be more loyal as they are at a place in the company where they can excel and achieve recognition. As well as finding the right person, putting the right employee on-boarding policy into place can get the new employee introduced to their co-workers in the best way, and allows for the building of a rapport between them.
Create employees who are marketable
Another way of ensuring worker loyalty is to show them that they are not only being compensated financially for their services to the organization via employment, but also are being given opportunities to enhance their experience and skillset. Some employers in the past have been reluctant to do this, for fear that if they spend too much time working with an employee to improve their skills, then the employee will leave the company for what they see as a brighter prospect as soon as the opportunity arises. This attitude, however, is self-defeating, as cultivating the employee can actually serve to build a better relationship with them and create opportunities for mentoring between managers and workers. Most employees who feel that their managers have worked to help them grow will undoubtedly be loyal ones.
Ensure multiple promotion paths
An employee’s personal and professional growth at the organization means that managers need to recognize this growth via promotion. However, not all employees are the same, so it is important to create paths to promotion that are tailored to the employee’s skillset, as well as what they want to achieve. This can be done by rotating the employee’s duties in such a way that they can utilize every part of their skillset regularly, giving them flexibility. This also allows them opportunities to move forward in the company without necessarily having to move to a completely different department where they are completely outside of their comfort zone or where their skills might not fit. Creating multiple paths, such as a “management path” for some employees while creating a “technical path” for others makes employees feel like they have a choice in where they want to take their careers. Such flexibility can make for a more loyal employee.
Encourage employee initiative
Creating opportunities for such choices gives employees a feeling of freedom at the workplace as well as control over their professional lives. It also makes workers feel like they are trusted by their managers and this feeling of trust can go a long way in ensuring employee loyalty. Employees should therefore be given opportunities to make choices about how they want to do their job, be it being allowed to take initiative by making work-related decisions autonomously, working remotely, or scheduling their work duties around their family schedules in order to create a better work/life balance.
Employee loyalty is not just about paying employees more to stay with the organization. They need to feel valued and fulfilled in their jobs, and that they are given opportunities to excel. Most of all, there needs to be a strong sense of trust between manager and employee, which will create a stronger and better working relationship. Taking measures to accomplish this will make for not only a loyal employee, but also a happier, more effective, and more productive one.
