Words: Brandon Hartsell, Project Manager at Gates Construction Company, Inc
Photo: RainStar
Employee retention can be defined as an organization’s ability to keep its employees. Whether you have high or low turnover, you can prevent good talent from leaving with the right practices and strategies. In this article, we will explore a few areas which will assist in making sure your employees remain just that, “Your Employees.”
Employee Replacement
Replacing an employee can be very expensive. We have trained someone for many months before letting them take the reigns on a project. They have learned our estimating system, project management system, and possibly rubbed shoulders with many of our industry suppliers. Our people are very valuable in the knowledge obtained about how the company runs on a day-to-day basis. Replacement once all the above is in place can be very costly. We highly recommend investing in the development of your employees. Help others win. Simply put, as a manager, you have achieved what a new hire is wanting to obtain. We should do everything we can to bring others to our level. Investment is key.
Employee Benefits
Also referred to as fringe benefits or perks, employee benefits are offered in addition to salary and wages. Some employee benefits offered are sick and annual leave, maternity leave, retirement fund contributions, incentives and bonuses, childcare benefits, healthcare benefits, and many more. Offering such benefits show your workers that you value and care for them on a more personal level. This will likely make them more loyal to your company, thus retaining them.
Good Manager-Employee Relationship
Keep the door open. Anyone who has ever worked for Gates Construction Company knows my door is open all the time. If you feel comfortable enough to walk in and talk, then our relationship will be so much stronger. Putting leadership development programs in place also helps to improve managers’ leadership skills, allowing them to better understand their team. A better relationship with management will make employees feel valued in the company and thus improve retention.
Personalized Employee Experience
We need to understand everyone is different. A company’s workforce is now more diverse than ever – employees are from several different generations with varying backgrounds and work experience. Therefore, a generic strategy to improve employee experience is no longer feasible. Although we value the ways in which Masonry Firms worked in the past, today’s methods of project management and estimating are very different. If workers are engaged in the early stages of their employment, they are encouraged to stay longer. Consequently, the longer they stay, the more engaged they become.
Summary
I have been with Gates Construction Company for (9) years, as of August 1, 2022. Over the years, new ideas which will improve our company have always been received with open arms. I personally believe, when we have someone willing to bring a new process in which will make us better, we should invest and give of ourselves as much as possible. We want to make sure our “Valued Employees” stay with Gates Construction Company. We are only as good as the “Team” we keep and continue to build as we move forward in this everchanging industry.