Working with Managers to Improve Retention

Companies don't cause employees to leave—people in companies cause employees to leave. Employees often leave companies because of conflicts with people, usually people in authority.
Employees are more likely to stay with a company when they enjoy their co-workers, feel respected, and know they're valued by their managers—in other words, when they feel connected to the people in their company.

Managers can improve retention by applying strategies for developing strong connections with employees. As a human resources professional, you can work with your managers to help improve employee retention. Specifically, you can help managers build and maintain employee connections in the following ways.

1. Encourage managers to ask employees for honest feedback.
The first way managers can build and maintain employee connections is to ask employees for honest feedback about work situations. Managers need to find out if their employees are happy with the company and with their jobs. They should take the time to ask pointed questions and listen to the answers. This may require some prodding on the part of the manager. Employees aren't likely to be forthcoming with criticism or negative feedback at first. Managers should be patient but persistent. Eventually, employees will feel comfortable confiding in their manager if their manager works to build relationships with them.

2. Encourage managers to be straightforward and honest with employees.
Another strategy managers can use to build and maintain employee connections is to be straightforward and honest with employees when communicating company information. Managers should keep staff members informed about what's going on in the company and should tell employees good and bad news in a sincere and straightforward way. Otherwise, employees may hear rumors and jump to their own conclusions.

Have you ever had a manager who didn't keep you informed about company business decisions? Did you find out about decisions that affected you from your co-workers, or worse, from an outside source? How did that make you feel about your manager? Managers can build trust with employees by keeping them informed. Employees are loyal to their managers when they feel connected to their managers. Managers earn respect when they communicate information in an open and honest way.

3. Encourage managers to align work assignments with employee interests and skills.
The third strategy managers can use to build and maintain employee connections is to align work assignments with employee interests and skills. When managers get to know their employees' interests, strengths, and weaknesses, they are better able to assign work in such a way that employees will be engaged and successful. In addition, they should try to give employees options that coincide with the company's demands and the employees' interests.

Managers can help retain valuable employees by developing strong connections with their employees. Are managers in your company trained well to do that? If not, work with them to help them apply the strategies for developing strong connections with employees, which in turn can help your company's retention efforts.