5 Ways to Retain Superstar Employees
This is Karl of Work Happy Now, having a blast guest posting for Alex while he is snowboarding in Whistler.
The Gen Yers are licking their chops as the old guard is losing their jobs. I know it’s not fair, but times are tough and companies need to make room for cheaper alternatives who have excellent education.
Many companies will do the usual and promote their young employees and increase their pay. If you read this blog on a semi-regular basis you know this isn’t good enough. You have to have a whole plan to retain the young superstars.
Create a Fun Environment
When was the last time you had a little party with some music and laughter? When was the last time you sent out a thank you to everyone in the company?
Creating a fun environment doesn’t take much time or money. All it takes is a little planning and effort. We often don’t feel we have time to do this. If you don’t take the time to celebrate, create a sharing environment and encourage people to let loose then fear will set in. Fear leads to bad decision making.
You need to let your superstars have fun and do great work. If they feel that they are free to create, laugh and share their ideas with one another, they will produce great results.
Pay Above Average and Include Perks
I know money isn’t everything, but companies who show that they care really make a difference. Sometimes a bonus or a little extra perk make an employee feel good. They feel like their hard work was noticed.
Your superstars are aware that their talents are valuable, so make sure you pay them what they’re worth. Co-workers talk to each other and research what other people are earning. If you pay too low they won’t stick around unless you’re some amazing non-profit that fills their souls with love.
You will also need to have some perks that keep them engaged in their work. If a young superstar is working harder than his peers then he wants managers and co-workers to notice. Compliments, when deserved, go a long way to showing a person that the company cares about the employee’s needs.
Provide Comprehensive Training
Now that a superstar is on board you have to train the employee using every tool at your disposal. The whole company should be involved. Most companies have trainers. They teach you the basics of how to do the job, but they often don’t have in-depth training. You need to teach your young employees how you would like them to interact with customers and clients. And keep teaching them on a consistent basis, so they know exactly what will make them successful.
They also need to be taught that it’s okay to fail. This may burn the company many times, but by giving them the freedom to learn on the job you’ll be supporting forward thinking productivity. The time put in at the beginning and throughout his/her career will help make the superstar successful and more confident.
Meet the Employee’s Needs
Some companies are so afraid of losing a superstar that they just pay way too much without really finding out what the employee’s other needs are. Many superstars just want to work one day from home. Other superstars want the freedom to try their own projects.
Ask them what they need and implement a system that helps both company and employee. If they want to work on their own projects then try it the Google way. Give them 10% of the work week to do whatever they want as long as they can prove that it will help the company.
Allow Anonymous Feedback
Dave Balter of Bzzagent asks employees what they want changed within the company. Employees submit anonymous requests through a little box. The coordinator organizes all the requests and every one is discussed at a regular meeting to air out the problems.
Dave Balter was surprised that it was usually the small things that bugged the employees. One employee wanted 4 prong forks in the kitchen instead of the 3 pronged forks that were presently there because it wasn’t easy to eat salads.
Make sure you give superstars the opportunity to air problems and solutions, so they make their work environment as enjoyable as possible.
All of these ideas should be applied to every employee, but I knew I could catch your attention if I made this article about superstars. Now that you know five great ways to retain employees, try implementing one of these each month for the next five months. Check back with us and tell us how successful your employee retention strategy was.
Karl Staib writes about unlocking and kicking open the door to working happy at his own blog: Work Happy Now! If you enjoyed this article, you may like to subscribe to his feed, follow him on Twitter or read one of his most popular articles, You Are Awesome.
Image courtesy of shindohd
Written by karl Permalink
Anca Said,
March 19, 2009 @ 8:32 am
Having a pleasant atmosphere in the workplace makes wonders, indeed. Employees come to work with pleasure and the results of their work are better. Everyone is happy :) both the employee and the employer.
Yaritsa Said,
March 19, 2009 @ 3:36 pm
This is an excellent post, I wish all employers would read it! A workplace where you are actually happy makes SUCH a difference. Employees don’t dead coming into the office and are therefore more excited about doing their jobs, which in turn makes for a more productive day. Happy Workers, Happy Employers, Happy Clients… it’s a win-win!
Hayli @ RiseSmart Said,
March 19, 2009 @ 6:26 pm
Why do these things make employees happy? I believe it’s because they feel valued and important, a feeling everyone enjoys. Your idea about customizing to the individual employee’s needs is great.
Jennifer Benz Said,
March 20, 2009 @ 5:31 pm
Great post! A lot of companies forget to give managers the flexibility and power to reward superstar employees in the way that makes the most impact on that individual. An extra day off, working from home, lots of recognition, these are all valued differently by different individuals. If managers know their people well, they can do the simple things that work.
Chris Young Said,
March 23, 2009 @ 5:03 am
Nice suggestions Karl – sometimes the simplest things can make all the difference!
I’ve featured this post in my weekly Rainmaker ‘Fab Five’ blog picks of the week (found here: http://www.maximizepossibility.com/employee_retention/2009/03/the-rainmaker-fab-five-blog-picks-of-the-week-3.html) to share your suggestions with my readers.
Be well Karl!
Too Right Said,
March 24, 2009 @ 4:30 pm
I think you’re only too right about giving employees what they value more instead of just pay, and like Yaritsa, I wish more employers would read it too!
Torley Said,
April 3, 2009 @ 9:19 pm
Also, underrated but overimportant: with eccentric personalities who are superstar employees, you definitely want to not just listen to them, but help them develop their ambition and drive for work-related skills that don’t seem all that useful at first, but will directly plug into their happiness generation.
Eccentrics are brilliant but often fall into a state of “I’m misunderstood and not REALLY being used as a resource, yet I have so much to give!”
Freshers Jobs Said,
April 5, 2009 @ 7:15 pm
Interesting Read !!
Hopefully after reading this, I will be able to retain few of my Superstars too :-)
Jason Monastra Said,
April 7, 2009 @ 4:57 pm
I like the advice and actually agree with most of it. However for emerging companies, how do you suggest we attack not only the retainment of our top employees but the recruitment of those employees? Training, above average pay and all those perks – those can be cost prohibitive for smaller companies. What ideas do you have for companies with less than 100 employees? Thanks.
Vishlysr Said,
June 24, 2009 @ 6:46 pm
Training is a really good idea. People want to further their careers and make it lay-off proof. Job safety for employees is still an issue. By the way, there is a 9-minute survey that shows if one’s job is safe or not. You can take the survey and view instant results: http://www.angstcorner.com/Home/tabid/70/Default.aspx
Toby Barazzuol Said,
July 11, 2009 @ 12:52 am
some good insights Karl. As the economy continues to evolve, we have seen recognition becoming even more powerful and important as companies work to retain and motivate their remaining staff.
A healthy and inspiring workplace is definitely one of the best things to make people happy and productive. Embracing sustainability at a company level is also great way to retain staff as people now want to work for organizations that care more about than simply dollars.
Of course, recognition awards are also a great way to recognize behaviors and performance that you’d like to see repeated. When using recognition awards though, be sure to insist on quality…a thoughtless gift can actually undermine your intended message and send the opposite instead.
For more information on the potential of recognition awards to motive and inspire, visit http://www.eclipseawards.com/happinessdelivered.asp
Jobs chennai Said,
December 31, 2009 @ 7:07 am
Great post Alexander Kjerulf,
I will follow this 5 Ways to Retain my Superstar Employees…
Software job Said,
February 25, 2011 @ 6:26 pm
Very interesting post.
Young employees are the superstars.
Low Job Satisfaction and No Loyalty [Infographic] | WebProNews Said,
March 28, 2012 @ 3:42 pm
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