Your entrepreneurial company is struggling to retain employees. What can you do to keep them engaged?

I've done my best work when encouraged to look at the bigger picture. "Meaningful" doesn't need to be equal to "saving the world" or something. And most founders can't pull that messaging off, anyway. Maybe only Adam Neumann. When I was a consultant, meaningful was about changing how an entire company operated. Hiring, training, and changing the life of hundreds of people. At my previous startups, it was about "we're going to be the first ones to do this" or "the first ones to do this - right". Be pragmatic: saving the world gets tiring. Reminding your team why this will make everyone reading the resume pause and say "wow you guys did that?", however... that's the real inspiring bit.

Remember, meaningful works mean different things to different employees. Not everyone is excited to take on more responsibilities or learn new skills. Learn from them what motivates them the most, and see how the work delegation that matches their visions and the company's.

I never had an office experience that was a "10 out of 10", so I'm biased here. As a consultant, we were always at the client's offices. As a startup operator, we spent 99% of our time in front of computers. Even our jokes and memes were on Slack. But I've also worked remotely, either partially or full-time, since 2011. Way before it was a thing. And I noticed that performance, creativity, and innovation has less to do with being in person than with encouraging communications and being obsessively goal-driven. My advice: build a culture of documentation so people can find what they need, set clear goals so everyone knows what needs to be done and who's doing it, and encourage async communication so you can spend less time in meetings.

In my experience, I have observed that employees tend to be more productive in a comfortable environment which basically is their own house. Along with this, the freedom that remote working gives is great for employees as they can participate in various events after they are done with their Jobs. In a traditional setting, traveling becomes very time-consuming and hectic. At my company we prefer to get things done remotely as much as possible that keeps employees happy and As a company we get tasks done more quickly.

Building team culture is not necessarily about organizing team dinner or team building events, but more a situational awareness of when and where the employees need you the most. Be equally content to show up when they struggle and need help, and to leave early when they have a good time at parties and not necessarily want their boss to be around.

Hire for Potential, not Just Experience: When hiring, instead of over-emphasizing on experience, emphasize the qualities that resonate with your culture, such as curiosity, resilience, or the desire to learn and grow. An employee with the right mindset and alignment with your values can be far more beneficial for your team culture in the long run.

When I started I didn't have enough cash to pay my employees. Still, they worked with me because I offered them growth with respect and guidance they needed. one of my employees who joined as a copywriter who had a great interest in filmmaking, I made sure that I provided him opportunities that could help me in his filmmaking interest. Today he is one of the best video editors I know making 10X more than what I used to offer him just because I offered him the opportunities and gave him the freedom to make those mistakes. Another employee who joined me as a Graphic Designer, I spotted that she had great Design sense for UI as well, I gave her the opportunity to learn Figma and make mistakes. Today she has designed 5+ Apps from scratch

Treat employees are stakeholders. In startups, nearly every employee's work can directly impact the company's success. Encouraging employee ownership, whether symbolic or in the form of equity, reinforces their connection to the company's growth potential.

"My door is always open" is a cop-out. We need to actively seek feedback and create a safe space that fosters honest and open communication. Fostering a sense of belonging at work has a significant impact on employee retention. Employees need to feel safe, seen, and cared for. Listening to and valuing their feedback, even when it is negative, can have a huge impact on their sense of belonging.

The people taking the biggest risk in a startup aren't the founders – research shows that founders of failed startups actually see big pay bumps in their next role. It's not the investors, either – they're diversified. It's the first employees. If the startup fails, their next interview will be awkward at best. Make their job more than a job. Make it clear to your team that they're co-owners. Offer equity (or a clear plan to get it). Offer visibility – make their successes public. And offer opportunities to earn in a way that's goal-dependent: commissions, profit-sharing, etc. People want to be paid fairly. And fairly doesn't mean just "average salary". Let people happy with average pay go elsewhere. Hire people who are hungry for more.

Clarity is kindness and most employees do not thrive in the very unstructured environments typical of startups indefinitely. Employees may initially fall in love with the company mission, but a lack of structure, clarity, and strong communication can be a source of frustration that causes them to leave. Founders should recognize they are typically more comfortable in ambiguity than their employees might be, and should prioritize regular communication and building process and structure for the benefit of their employees (even though they will need to change and adapt as the company grows, potentially pivots, etc.). Leading a startup is a great and constant exercise in change management.

Take a step back and consult peers in the industry, and see whether or not it is an industrial trend struggling to retain people. In new and upcoming industry (like crypto and AI), it is more likely to see people hopping from one company to another. If it is indeed the case, there is very little you can do to reverse the overarching trend. To embrace it, you may want to structure the team in a more agile approach, divided the roles and responsibilities into task-based blocks, to facilitate the dynamics of frequent personnel changes.

Understand what really motivates your employees. Don't underestimate the power of recognition and demonstrating that you really have their back. It is difficult to create loyalty, but when employees feel heard and valued - they are more likely to give 100% and not search for new opportunities.