How to Develop Long-Term Employees

Any business leader knows that turnover can be detrimental to a company’s long-term productivity. When employees come and go, quality isn’t consistent and the overall company culture suffers. Fortunately, there are a few strategies that any manager or business owner can employ in order to get employees to love their job and want to stick around for the long run. These techniques include:

Developing a personal connection

It’s no secret that new hires do better when they feel as if they know their management team on a deeper level than just a “How are you?” in the cafeteria. In order to help that new team member feel like a valuable part of the company, management professionals should connect with them early on. Whether this includes providing guidance about doing the job successfully or just talking with them about how things are going so far, this personal connection helps an employee to know that they are valued and that they matter.

Introduce them around

For many people, feeling a part of the team comes down to getting to know co-workers. This can be challenging if the rest of the team has worked at the company for years. To make it easier, bring the new hire through the office on their first day and introduce them to their new co-workers. It’s also good to appoint a point person who can tackle any questions or issues that the new employee may encounter as they get going.

Treat them as equals

New hires who constantly hear about the fact that they’re new may take longer to assimilate into company culture than those who are welcomed in and treated just like any other team member right away. While it is fine to ask new staffers if they have questions, they should feel as if their opinion matters just as much as any other employee. Creating a separation between old and new team members can alienate staffers, and may cause cliques to form.

Make sure duties are clear

Employees who never really know what their job entails or how success will be measured tend to feel frustrated more easily and more quickly than someone who knows exactly what is expected of him and how to do it. Taking time to write down a person’s job description and how they will be evaluated is an important tool for making a new hire’s transition easier. When expectations are clear, it’s easier to deliver results.

Ultimately, a person’s first few weeks on the job can help to set the tone for the rest of their time at that office. For this reason, hiring managers and senior employees should make it a point to ensure that the adjustment process is easy. This helps to develop employees who will stay on board for the long haul.

How do you make sure your new hires have an easy transition? Let us know in the comments.