Want To Retain More Employees?

Tips to Becoming a Better Manager

Managing for employee retention involves strategic actions to keep employees motivated and focused so they elect to remain employed and fully productive for the benefit of the organization.

According to SHRM’s Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement: The Doors of Opportunity are Open research report, employees identified these five factors as the leading contributors to job satisfaction:

1. Respectful treatment of all employees at all levels.
2. Compensation/pay.
3. Trust between employees and senior management.
4. Job security.
5. Opportunities to use their skills and abilities at work.

Traits and skills of good managers

“There are several qualities a great manager will have that are often overshadowed by performance metrics, client satisfaction, or sales deadlines,” she adds. While those factors are important, they won’t keep your people around. Here are some crucial traits and skills to cultivate.

1. Organization

Chaotic, disorganized environments can send the best employees looking for another job. Being able to break down projects into manageable parts and successfully delegate and support your team as they execute work is an important part of good management.

2. Growth mindset

If you want your team to grow, you must be willing to grow first. And your top performers will appreciate an environment where they can keep challenging themselves and get out of their comfort zone too.

“Great managers not only stay on top of their own growth by making time to read, attend industry conferences, and invest in professional development, but they also are aware of growth opportunities that will help develop their people,” according to Stizza.

3. Trust

Trust is the glue that keeps a team together in the long run. As a manager, you must build trust with your reports, but you also need to show it. Stizza says trust is built when you are humble and not afraid to admit when you are wrong or you don’t know something. It’s also about avoiding micromanagement at all costs:

Micromanaging sends the message of a lack of trust faster than anything else. Delegating work, giving stretch assignments, and setting the expectations that people will come for help when needed provides space vital for trust to grow.

4. Communication

“Communicating effectively includes offering better feedback by including details such as the context of when the actions made a difference, and how those actions affected the outcome.”

But communicating well also means asking questions and listening. It’s a two-way street, and managers who retain their team members understand that.

5. Onboarding

. “Onboarding is a new employee’s first experience with an organization, team, and who they report to. First impressions often set the foundation for trust, comfort, and feeling valued and included.”

A strong manager knows how much this matters and will make sure the new employee has a partner to help them settle in, may set them up with a calendar of priorities to learn, and set them up with a project that is meaningful so they know they are contributing from day one.

6. Positivity

A positive attitude goes a long way towards creating an environment that makes people enjoy their work and stick around. Smiling, greeting others, getting to know more about them outside of work, and making them feel seen and valued are some of the most subtle yet critical habits a good manager embraces. It’s the little things that make the difference when a team has to go through challenging times. And positivity is even more important in those harder moments.