Four Reasons Why You Could Be Losing Your Best Employees

Holding onto talented staff can be difficult, and the expense of finding and training a replacement is an unwanted strain on your business

There’s many reasons as to why staff move on, personal reasons, other opportunities, etc. However, retaining your best staff starts with understanding why they’d leave in the first place. Here are the top four reasons why you could be losing your best employees:

1. Recognition Praise and acknowledgement for hard work is not only deserved, but can be hugely appreciated by talented employees. So when an organization fails to recognize their staff, it doesn’t go unnoticed. When an organization undermines the importance of its people, the most talented staff typically leave for a more rewarding role. This unfortunately leaves the business with low-rated staff and a bad reputation. Even if you don’t have the spare budget to hand out raises or bonuses- recognition can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There are plenty of low-cost ways of showing recognition, and a word of appreciation is not only free, but goes a long way. Success obviously comes from a culmination of factors, however without dedicated, talented and passionate staff, the other factors cease to function.

2. Pressure Unsurprisingly, it’s easier than we think to overload our employees with work. Usually, in the seek for recognition it’s often the best employees that take on more than they can manage. To avoid this, it’s good for staff to break down their day and prioritize their tasks. You may even want to take five minutes to help each member with this, to ensure their productivity levels are optimized and their motivation levels don’t dwindle. For example, in my business I encourage my staff to set out a plan for the day, and each morning report what their three main tasks for the day will be. This approach helps prioritise the ‘big rocks’ for the day, and reduces the pressure of having too much to complete at once.

3. Focus As i have mentioned in previous articles, ambition is great; it’s necessary to run a successful business. However, ambition must be strategized in order to make your aspirations achievable. Staff can get frustrated and demotivated by a workplace full of ideas and visions, that have no translation into any sort of goals. No talented employee will waste time on in idea that has no clear structure or path to completion. Motivated people strive for results, and it’s important that your ambition and visions correlate into structured targets for your team to follow.

4. Boredom Talented staff members will always be searching for new ways to challenge and enhance their skills. Innovative thinkers don’t want to be stuck in the same system for their entire career, they want to feel like their professional journey is still moving forward. If your organisation doesn’t offer a clear progression route, staff will know they must leave in order to progress. Inability to provide a career ladder with not only de-motivate staff, but they are more likely to be bored, unhappy and less dedicated to the success of the business. By implementing positions and achievements for your staff to aspire to, they will naturally work harder to receive the rewards.