Recruiters sliding into your staff's DMs? This is how to retain your people
ROI (?) Operations - The Social Good Consultancy
The consultancy for those who make change. We help public sector, third sector & 'social good' clients transform.
Chances are, your staff is at least having a sneaky glance at what else is on offer in the job market. They most definitely have recruitment consultants sliding into their LinkedIn DMs. Sponsored adverts offering better conditions, pay or titles are likely appearing on their screens multiple times daily. It is an employee’s market. So how do you retain staff?
It can be extra challenging to retain staff in the social good sector, where salaries are often lower and the perks can't compare to those at our privately-owned counterparts. That isn’t to say your valued people won’t stay. ‘Social good’ work is infinitely more rewarding, in our opinion. You do, however, need to give your staff a reason to stick around.
?Here are a few approaches to consider…?
●?????Performance bonuses
Bonuses related to an employee’s performance over a specified period of time can really motivate your team to hit their targets and improve the organisation’s efficiency overall. These bonuses could be based on either individual or group performance. Given a lot of our work in the public and third sectors is focused on bigger-picture ideas, a mission-based bonus could work best. Mission bonuses specify deadlines by which employees must meet a goal.
●?????Subsidies
In the new flexible working era, subsidies are becoming more popular. You may offer staff a payment monthly to cover internet costs for remote work, for example. Another attractive option is paying for a portion of an employee’s continued education fees.?
●?????Recognition and rewards
A monthly recognition and rewards programme is now the standard for many organisations. Recognition in itself, such as simply receiving an award certificate in front of colleagues, can be hugely motivating.
As Harvard Business School researcher Amy Whillans notes, “cash matters in people’s lives, but it’s not all that matters.”
Rewards, of course, are always a nice bonus! The winning employee may, for instance, receive a paid afternoon off.
●?????Health and wellness
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Discounted gym memberships, free healthy snacks or lunches, on-site health checks and getting involved in charity fitness challenges as all great ideas to boost the morale of your staff. Healthy teams are happy teams!
Everyone wants to feel like they are growing, throughout life and work. A formal mentorship scheme can help improve company culture and, by fostering human interaction and between interpersonal relations, inadvertently boost retention rates.
We also love to idea of reverse mentoring, where younger colleagues educate their more experienced counterparts. This can be great in getting everyone up-to-speed on the latest trends and tech, for instance.
Professional development is an ongoing commitment. There is always something we can learn or improve upon, personally and professionally. We recently wrote about the importance of ongoing professional development in this blog.
Don’t, and we repeat, do not - micromanage! Give your staff the tools, space and clear deliverables to do their job independently. Once they have the necessary information, training, time and resources needed to get the job done, leave them be to get their best work done. Simple.
Involving the team, even less senior members, in decision-making is also invaluable.
In the social good sector, our work is meaningful. It literally changes lives, communities and the world. Remind your staff of that, daily. Directly communicate how projects are contributing towards wider organisational goals and vision. Working towards common goals helps create an overall sense of purpose and meaning within a team. Meaningful work equals happy employees who stay productive and … stay, period.