What are some of the common challenges and pitfalls of staff retention and how do you overcome them?

Onboarding is an area for concern because often existing staff are asked to help onboard new people without a lot of reward or recognition. It’s easy to feel that newer staff are more appreciated, especially if there are also pay disparities. Not everyone views the onboarding as an opportunity or even a development opportunity. Look at creating different ways to support ongoing development. I person chose to opt out of regular onboarding but signed up to be a subject matter expert for complex topics. This helped staff of all different tenues but also management. I get bored by repetition and this complexity allowed me to research new solutions and add significant value in a way that was unique to me. #HybridRemoteExcellence

Staff retention in the sports industry presents several challenges. High turnover often stems from burnout, lack of growth opportunities, and inadequate recognition. To overcome these pitfalls, I focus on creating a supportive work environment that values staff contributions. Implementing professional development programs helps staff see a clear career path. Regularly acknowledging and rewarding hard work boosts morale. Additionally, fostering open communication allows for addressing concerns promptly. By investing in my team’s well-being and growth, I can build loyalty and reduce turnover effectively.

Common challenges in staff retention include lack of career development, insufficient recognition, and poor work-life balance. To overcome these, I focus on providing clear growth paths and regular training opportunities to support career advancement. I ensure recognition and reward systems are in place to acknowledge achievements and boost morale. Additionally, I promote a healthy work-life balance by offering flexible schedules and supportive policies. Regular feedback sessions help address concerns proactively, fostering a positive work environment and reducing turnover.

Ask your staff how you are doing? By asking them to be honest about how they feel they are valued you will be able to spot potential issues before they affect your retention. If you are onboarding new staff, as existing staff or newly hired staff what they thought was missing or what they would have preferred to have received? If you are using your existing staff to help with onboarding make sure they are recognised and rewarded for their efforts and time. We often speak with candidates, particularly sales canddiates, who were enlisted on the onboarding journey of new staff members but their sales targets were not adjusted to reflect the less time they had to do their own job fully.

Timely and Specific Feedback: Regularly provide specific and constructive feedback. This helps employees understand their strengths and areas for improvement, making them feel valued and engaged. Personalized Recognition: Recognize achievements in a way that resonates with each individual, whether through public acknowledgment, private praise, or rewards. Celebrate Successes: Hold appreciation events or small celebrations to acknowledge team accomplishments. This fosters a sense of belonging and pride among employees.

Poor communication and transparency breeds mistrust and disloyalty. When you don’t share information (the good and the bad) with your teams, they can’t help or support you. Instead, they will spend time wondering what other secrets are you hiding? Now if leadership is communicating well and transparent, then it opens the culture to one of trust. Employees are more likely to take ownership, initiative and be a brand ambassador for your company. Additionally, they are likely to be more loyal and stay with the company longer.

Poor communication can kill retention in any company. As we all know in the absence of information, people make up stories ~ often based in fear vs. fact. Key tip is check in with your team on their questions/concerns and do your very best to fill the void with real information vs. letting them make assumptions that lead to exiting your company. It's important to provide as much information as possible to your team so they can make the best decisions for them and their families.

Don't just celebrate the wins. Your team will support your business through thick and thin if you are open and honest with you. Some managers and business owners forget that their staff are the 'front-line' of their business and they speak with it's customers on a daily basis. If sales are down, ask your staff why they think they are down, and what they think could be done to improve sales. Don't have a directors' board meeting and make plans without asking your staff - they may have ideas that will help improve sales because they know what the customer wants. They will know the reasons customers are saying no and why they are saying yes.

Strong Communication and Transparency is something that will keep employees engaged in the mission of the Company. People like to be in the know of what's going on. By including your employees in this, they will support the business, they will wear the brand and be the brand. This also makes communication so much easier because there is no fear in the news you are sharing. It's either a celebration or everyone is hands on deck.

To overcome this, it is essential to establish clear and open lines of communication throughout the organization. Regular updates and transparent sharing of company goals, challenges, and successes help employees feel informed and included.

As called out here, connection, collaboration should be a big focus as well. Historically doing this remotely or in a hybrid has been a challenge for many. This can be aided from non-work related check ins, and team building. Bring your team together just to have fun, play a game together, laugh or just discuss what TV show they are watching. The more appreciated and valued staff feel, the more engaged with the team they tend to become.

Understand what the 'real challenge' is for your staff. One of my clients works in tech with a machine that consistently breaks. As part of a retention / employee engagement initiative, their company did a number of off-site activities to boost morale. Unfortunately this didn't tackle the root cause of the employee burnout and as a result generated resentment. This is one example of employers not solving the root cause which eventually leads to burnout and staff retention challenges. Finding out what is important to your Team and being able to offer a solution will benefit your retention ROI. Your people will feel heard and their daily experience improved - this is better than a generic one off experience.

To mitigate high stress and burnout, sometimes just asking a simple question can provide insights you would not otherwise have, for example: "What's the one thing that - if changed/fixed/etc. - would make your workday more enjoyable?" And, who knows, some changes may be easily implemented - and make all the difference. I know this sounds simplistic, but it is surprising how little input is sought from staff, and wouldn't it be better if staff "felt seen and heard"?

High stress and burnout are significant challenges that can lead to decreased productivity and high turnover rates. To combat this, it's important to promote a healthy work-life balance by offering flexible working hours and manageable workloads. Regular breaks and time off should be encouraged to help employees recharge. Additionally, providing access to mental health resources and creating a supportive work environment can alleviate stress.

Incentives and benefits are not the be-all and end-all but they are important to your staff. Hint: Free fruit, Free coffee and pizza Fridays are not benefits! Ask your staff what they want, what they value, what they need. You will never be able to accommodate all of your staff's desires and wishes but by listening to them you will be able to craft a great package. This will in turn make them feel valued and listened to and more likely to stay and flourish. Consider a multiple-choice benefit system (we do) For example: I do not go to the gym but a staff member goes every day. A gym membership is useless to me and brilliant for him. Under wellness, my staff have the choice of a gym membership, yoga sessions or national trust membership.

As someone who worked in an office with a private office that eventually went to going to an office without an office aka "hot desk," I found it challenging to focus on strategic work and engaging with clients who were offsite. Ironically I ended up sitting in a phone booth for 4/5ths of my day on calls/ zoom, etc. as most of my clients were scattered across the USA and the globe. The flexibility to work from home/ anywhere was key to my and many of my colleagues' ability to get the more strategic work done. The point is that flexibility and trusting employees to do the right thing goes far in building relationships across an organization.

It's important to remember, plans fail where there is no consultation or confidential talk. Communicate clearly through documented processes. Announce updates and changes openly. Encourage connectivity through collaboration. Regardless of education or experience remember no one knows it all. Be interested interest in what your team knows & thinks. Allow everyone the opportunity to contribute. Create great accomplishments by getting everyone involved.