Working friendships have been proven to increase engagement and productivity. Employees who are engaged and productive tend to remain loyal to the company longer. Therefore, you want to create working friendships with your team members to increase retention rates.
Get to Know Your Team Members
Talk to your team members on a personal level. Getting to know each other will establish common ground and enhance your work relationship. For instance, ask each teammate how they are and wait for an authentic answer. Perhaps they just moved, adopted a pet, or started working for you. Follow up with polite questions to learn more. Also, encourage your team members to share their stories. Learning about their individual experiences demonstrates their unique perspective on the world. You will learn to be more empathetic with coworkers and inspire honesty and respect in the workplace. Additionally, support your teammates’ personal goals. Knowing you care about them beyond their productivity will enhance your relationship.
Promote Autonomy
Let your employees be as autonomous as possible. For instance, involve them in discussions to make decisions. Also, ask for ideas to develop new or enhance existing products/services. In addition, offer bonuses for reaching company goals.
Invest in Employee Development
Make your employees’ personal and professional development a priority. Their experiences at home and at the office affect each other. They cannot excel in their work if they are struggling in their personal life. Providing opportunities for development increases team members’ engagement and happiness, which spills over into their personal life. Therefore, you should implement an Individual Development Plan to help your employees set and reach short- and long-term goals. Find out where they are, where they want to be, and how they can get there. Also, set up a monthly check-in to measure progress and adjust accordingly.
Encourage Well-Being
Promote health and wellness among your employees. For instance, encourage quick exercise such as jumping jacks or squats before meetings. Also, challenge your team members to run at least one mile per day or sleep at least seven hours per night for 30 days. Offer a gift card or other incentive for winning. Additionally, remind your teammates to stay home when ill and avoid spreading germs.
Provide Awards
Create weekly recognition and monthly achievement awards. Showing appreciation is one of the top ways to retain employees. For instance, recognize excellent work or achievement at weekly meetings. Also, provide monthly awards for top performers. Examples may include the employee who fixes things, takes the most risks, or best demonstrates company values.
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