It’s likely you’ve already noticed how difficult hiring is these days, but now most HR people are preparing business owners for a mass exodus of employees post-COVID. If that turns out to be true, to be a preferred employer and one that keeps its employees, you’re going to need to make them feel welcomed and valued.
Here are a few ways to do that:
Ways to Make Your Employees Feel Valued
- Give them a “welcome aboard” basket of company branded items (don’t forget to include some local currency so they can go out to lunch on you).
- Ask them early on what their goals are and find ways to help them reach them through special projects.
- Give them perks they enjoy like working from home or flexible hours.
- Put them in charge of something they have a passion for.
- Ask them for their opinion or suggestions.
- Listen to their suggestions.
- Showcase them on social media or in your newsletter.
- Remove obstacles getting in the way of them doing their job.
- Assign them a buddy to show them around.
- Share stories about how your company is helping people (you don’t have to be a non-profit to be helping others).
- Match their donations to the non-profit of their choice.
- Give them bonuses when they do something amazing (local currency makes a nice bonus while helping support local businesses).
- Offer them a discount for your company’s goods or services.
- Review them often so they know where they stand and use the sandwich technique when you do (compliment, something to work on, compliment).
- Tell them what you value about them.
- Touch base often.
- Be transparent in your decision-making, hiring, and firing processes.
- Compliment people in public, correct them in private.
- Address growth opportunities. You don’t want someone leaving because they don’t know where else they can go.
What would you add to the list? When figuring out the value question, ask yourself why you have left any of your past jobs. Then solve for that problem.
