Looking to Lower Turnover? Keep Your Team Engaged

Kenexa Research Institute (KRI), an employee development and recruiting company, found that there is a "two-year itch" when it comes to employee retention. Job satisfaction begins to decline between the sixth and the eighteenth month of employment. That means that by the end of a two-year stint with a company, most employees are already looking for their next job. So how do you keep your employees from leaving your company? Keeping them engaged at work is the key. A Gallup international poll showed that 87 percent of engaged employees are less likely to leave their jobs. This same study showed that companies with engaged employees reported higher profits and revenues. Here are a few ways to keep your employees engaged at work.

Give Them the Tools

Give your employees what they need to get their job done. We ask our teams to perform miracles each day; don't make them work to find the tools. Make sure they have the resources and training necessary to perform the tasks assigned.

Know Their Goals

A 2006 Accenture study showed that employees want two things: challenge and recognition. Knowing your team's goals is the first step in keeping them challenged. Beyond the task at hand, what are your employees working towards? How do they define success? Keep your employees engaged by keeping them challenged.

Share the Vision

Communicating the company's larger goals will make each player feel like part of the success, not just a cog in the wheel. Explain how each person's role effects the company overall. Be sure you are sharing the successes as well. Knowing that everyone's contribution paid off will help keep your team motivated.

Establish Trust

Steven Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, likens relationships to "emotional bank accounts." He says that you have to make constant deposits to the keep your balance positive. Behave in a trustworthy fashion by not making empty promises. Nothing will demotivate your team faster than you not living up to your word. Don't promised promotions, bonuses or projects that you can't deliver on. The short-term excitement over the news will pale in comparison to the negative attitudes that develop if you cannot deliver.

Lower turnover and higher productivity alone are reason enough to work towards keeping your employees engaged in the office. The resulting positive attitudes it will create among your team will be icing on the cake.