If you’re like most successful managers, you understand that a strong connection exists between productive employees and happy employees. You know that if you work hard to keep your employees safe and motivated, and you demonstrate respect for their talents and their time, then they’ll be more likely to show your company the same respect in return. You’ll retain high-value workers by cultivating long term relationships with them, and you’ll attract a more talented pool of candidates as your reputation begins to climb.
But what can you do to launch this upward spiral? What traits should you cultivate in order to attract and retain the best employees?

Flexibility

Some studies show that modern workers, especially at the mid-career level, value time even more than they value money. Of course you’ll still need to pay your employees what they’re worth, but consider adopting a flexible approach to work hours as well. As far as possible, allow your teams to shape their own schedules and work remotely if and when they need to. As long as the work gets done, it shouldn’t matter where or when this happens.

Fairness

If you aren’t paying attention to who gets the credit for hard work and great ideas, you should be. Maybe you can’t be bothered to take a close look at interoffice politics and gossip, but if so, you may be missing opportunities to praise and reward the real contributors, not just the loudest shouters. Fairness should be a top priority when it’s time to distribute workloads, assign projects, or grant promotions.

Connectivity

Consider allowing your employers to connect their own devices to the company network or log in to the network from anywhere they choose. Make sure employees are properly compensated for work they conduct or data they consume using their own contracts.

Opportunities for growth

In addition to compensation, you’ll need to take care of your employees by looking out for their futures. Create opportunities for growth within your organization by building long term hiring pipelines. And in the meantime, encourage learning by establishing a mentoring program, providing in-house training, and offering tuition compensation for employees who would like to further their educations.

Respect

The basic equation is simple: if you give respect, you’ll get respect. And for employees, this means respect for their thoughts, their ideas, and their needs. Keep a close eye on how much your teams are actually being paid for each hour of their time; if they’re salaried employees working 60 hour weeks and making 30,000 dollars a year, this is unacceptable. Understand the link between how much they contribute and how much they’re paid.
For more on how to boost your reputation and gain access to the best employees, reach out to the experienced staffing team at PSU.