Are your employees starting to slip away amid our current highly competitive labor market? If you’re like most employers and managers during periods of strong economic growth, you may be seeing more of your employees eyeing the exits and submitting their notice than you did a few years ago. Unfortunately, the ones heading for the door are likely to be the most valuable workers on your staff, because at this point, they’re probably seeing attractive and high paying opportunities elsewhere. But don’t worry! With a few minor—and inexpensive—adjustments, you can lure these drifting experts and excellent workers back to their desks.

Try these three moves.

Flexible Hours

Instead of demanding that your employees arrive on location at the stroke of 9:00 am, and then watching them like a hawk until they’re free to leave the premises at 5:00, let go. Your employees are human beings, not machines. That’s why you hire and pay them. Trust them to get their jobs done during the hours in which they’re most productive, and then keep your eyes on the work, not on the person. If jobs can be done remotely, implement remote policies and software platforms that let employees work from home as much as possible. For jobs that need some onsite time, don’t break a sweat over employees who come in and leave a bit later or earlier than you’re used to.

Increased PTO

Just as employees don’t live their lives only during weekends and evening hours, they also don’t enjoy freedom and sunlight during a rigidly sanctioned two-week period of “vacation” time, in which they sit on the beach instead of at a desk. Vacations are not the only reason employees need time off; they also usually have to care for family members, attend to personal obligations, maintain their homes, and take care of obligations that arise outside of a single brief period in July. Allow employees to leave when they need to and make flexible arrangements to ensure that the company keeps running during those times.

Four Day Weeks

Many employers have had success with “summer hours” in which employees can opt to work slightly longer days from Monday to Thursday in exchange for Fridays off during the summer months. Consider implementing a plan like this that works all year round and allows your company keep rolling forward while employees stay on the clock and available only four days per week.

Contact PSU Today

For more on how to make simple adjustments to workplace policies that can keep employees on board—as well as prevent burnout and improve productivity—contact our staffing experts at PSU.