If your team quickly disappears and one after the other quits, you are at a loss...
Could it possibly be down to your leadership qualities? You might be spending a lot of money on costly employee motivation measures, offering monetary incentives, spending money on company cars, e-bikes, pool tables and vouchers to go to the gym. And despite these really great offers, there is no gratitude from the team. You may even be met with resentment.
Ouch, that hurts! Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case.
But why is that?
A friend recently told me, stunned, that 14 employees in her social services department had resigned in 2 ½ years - because of her boss!
What happened?
The new, young team leader had no experience in the industry and was given the job as a very young manager soon after graduating. She became the head of a highly motivated and well-coordinated team with well-functioning procedures and processes. Actually great conditions for a successful collaboration.
Actually ...
Almost 3 years later, everything looks completely different.
Frustrated team members who no longer trust their superiors and vice versa. Processes have been turned upside down. Processes are now unclear. There is a lot of grinding in the gears.
What, among other things, has the young manager done wrong?
- She did not ask her new team about the procedures and processes in detail.
- She tried to adopt and apply the processes she knew from her old job 1:1 in her new job. Which didn't work.
- She did not conduct initial interviews to get to know and assess the strengths and weaknesses of each individual.
- She canceled meetings that she had scheduled 5 minutes after they started. In doing so, she did not appreciate the heavy workload of her team, but rather trampled on it and disrespectfully threw their work schedule overboard.
- She can't find her way around the documents herself - and blames the employees for not getting the work done.
My heart bled! Just thinking about it,
- how much irretrievable knowledge and experience has been lost.
- The drop in productivity of the frustrated remaining team.
- how much longer vital professional advice for clients has been postponed by weeks and months.
- how much money has been wasted as a result.
What a pity. But unfortunately not an isolated case.
When confident and excellent managers know their employees inside out, focus on the strengths of their team and deploy their employees accordingly, then excellent work is delivered.
And these successful managers may have studied the authors Abraham Maslow (pyramid of needs) and possibly Frederick Herzberg (motivator-hygiene theory). They dealt with the topic of "employee motivation" decades ago.
What really motivates employees - and this is also confirmed by more recent research - is recognition, a sense of belonging from superiors and a positive learning experience.
So how can you curb high staff turnover?
Recognize the achievements of each individual employee. Show interest in their work and invest in the personal and professional development of your team.
Liking people is half the battle. That's why you bind your team members through your personal relationship with them. This will develop long-term social relationships and a sense of belonging that is impressive and can withstand difficult times. Offer further training and development opportunities in your company. Then you've hit the jackpot when it comes to reducing staff turnover.
There are currently major upheavals in the electroplating industry with challenging topics (e.g. energy costs, REACh, occupational safety, digitalization, etc.). You have the opportunity to get your employees on board to learn something new every day. To work independently on topics in greater depth, implement exciting projects and take on more responsibility. All of this is very motivating.
Targeted use of benefits. Sure, the salary in every account has to be right. But is your team aware of all the other benefits your company can offer? After all, in addition to fruit baskets, sports facilities, e-bikes, company cars and the company pension scheme, there are many other options. Are your employees aware of these? Not all of the benefits mentioned attract all team members equally. That's why it makes sense to think about a sustainable strategy. And then make these known to EVERYONE.
If I now jump into the head of a team member ...
It's much harder to leave a job when the working atmosphere is right, you get on well with your colleagues, you can work independently without the boss constantly interfering, the money is flowing and the benefits are tailored to your life situation, you feel valued and you're always learning and implementing new and innovative things.
Right?
