We’ve all seen it happen or experienced it ourselves: A new hire is brought on after an exhaustive search. They’ve got the skills and expertise to succeed in their role, and after a few months on the job, they’re performing at a high level and working well across their team and cross-functionally. But unbeknownst to their hiring manager or the HR team, the new hire has been on the job hunt since they walked in the door —  and now they’ve snagged a new offer and have given their two weeks notice.

Recruiters approaching employees with enticing job offers and workers departing for new opportunities is nothing new, but in today’s job market it seems to be happening with greater frequency. “Even before COVID, our employees would be [contacted] once or twice a week by recruiters who had new opportunities or better compensation,” said Emily Meekins, SPHR, PHR, founder, CEO, and Head of Fractional Talent at Workstrat, a recruiting firm and career coaching service. “[The market for talent] was competitive before, but it’s only been amplified now.”

Amplified, indeed. Lattice research into the trends of the Great Resignation found that more than half (52%) of employees with tenures of less than three months are looking to leave their current position, and that figure jumps to 60% for employees with tenures between three and six months. Overall, the most at-risk employees for leaving have been at their companies for 7-11 months (62%).

The most effective way to retain employees is to make sure they never want to leave in the first place, and this is done by engaging employees from day one. Here’s how to engage employees so they’re happy and fulfilled at your organization — and won’t be constantly keeping an eye out for the next opportunity elsewhere.

3 Ways to Boost Retention from Day One

1. Understand what motivates employees.

The factors that make work fulfilling tend to be the same ones that make people want to stay with an organization: a blend of purpose, meaning, challenge, growth, connection, and belonging that we derive from our jobs.

In their research, Clodagh Beaty and Marisa Elizundia, cofounders of The Emotional Salary Barometer (ESB), an online tool to measure emotional salary (or the non-financial gains we obtain from working) identified 10 factors of emotional salary. These factors include autonomy, belonging, mastery, purpose, and more. Different people value some elements more than others, and the way we weigh these factors throughout our careers often changes.

As leaders, the first step to emphasizing these factors in the employee experience is to communicate with employees, and then incorporate these elements where possible. Here’s where to start:

Help employees gain an awareness of the emotional benefits of their work.

‍Beaty said that a key to retaining employees is shedding light on the holistic value they get from their job. “It’s about helping people gain an awareness of the emotional benefits they get from their work,” said Beaty.

HR teams and managers can gather these types of insights through formal employee surveys, as well as informally through conversations with employees about their goals, motivators, and preferences from the beginning — starting with the hiring and onboarding processes — and continuing throughout their tenure at the company via regularly scheduled one-on-ones, performance reviews, and other check-ins.

“We shouldn’t be waiting until people get another job [to begin engaging them in this way],” said Beaty. “We should start with onboarding, helping people recognize the emotional benefits they get from their work and creating a culture where it’s normal to talk about this [kind of development].”

Use one-on-ones to facilitate conversations about goals and values.

‍Given the collective trauma of the past few years, including the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing social unrest, and the recent multiple mass shootings, people everywhere are reflecting on what they value; reprioritizing their time; and reconsidering their futures, goals, and career trajectories.

“The pandemic encouraged a lot of introspection, and employees are reflecting on their accomplishments. People don’t want to feel as though they never achieved anything and so they’re seeking out more meaningful opportunities for growth,” said Jennifer Hill, consultant, cofounder of consulting firm Metabizics, and host of LA-area radio show Get Yourself the Job. “It’s important now more than ever as a manager to ask [your direct reports], ‘What matters to you?’”

One-on-ones between managers and their direct reports held at a regular cadence can provide invaluable information about the employee experience — and give leaders insights that can help keep workers engaged and retained. While some weeks there will be more to talk about than others, the regularity of the meeting builds trust and fosters connection, which makes these essential, deeper conversations possible.

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Source: Lattice, June 23, 2022, by Catherine Tansey