Authored by Phil Cohen
You will never truly stop recruiting talent as your company grows, and you can never fully eliminate turnover – for every employee who is satisfied with a variety of temporary assignments, there is one who is on the hunt for the perfect permanent position. Still, by investing in your current employees, regardless of their ultimate objective, you can reduce your turnover and save your recruitment resources for when you need them most.
Working toward employee satisfaction may seem more difficult in a temporary staffing setting, which is somewhat different from a traditional work environment. While you may offer workspace to employees fulfilling remote work contracts, your primary workforce will spend more time off-site. These employees will reserve office visits for receiving work placements or addressing work concerns.
A decentralized company culture makes it even more important to take your employees’ “work pulse” and find ways to keep them happy. Here are seven great ways to better serve your employees:
7 Ways To Keep Your Staffing Employees Happy
Compensate them well.
The most direct way to show an employee that you recognize her contribution is by paying her at least what she is worth. Structure your salaries to be competitive in the industry, and supplement them where you can with benefits that make the opportunity worthwhile. Some ideas include the obvious – healthcare and paid time off – but also consider less orthodox benefits like travel reimbursement for assignments that require a longer commute.
Reward excellent performance.
Even if your employee is not providing work directly to you, their stellar performance benefits your client and makes your company look good. After all, a satisfied client will suggest that colleagues turn to you when they have their own positions to fill. With that in mind, give periodic raises and bonuses that reflect your understanding and appreciation of your employees’ hard work.
Get to know them.
An employee is more than a number or an assignment. He is a person with likes and dislikes, interests outside the office, and friends and family who matter greatly. Show an interest in the things that matter to your employees and they will feel recognized and valued. For bonus points, make the effort to show special support to them during milestone events, such as sending flowers or a card to celebrate a birth.
Provide employee incentives.
Think outside the box for ways to show your appreciation to your employees. Use social media to help your team stay connected – think a Pinterest board of employee snapshots. (Of course, do not suggest activities that could put your employees in hot water at their placements!) Bonus: offer gift cards or prizes for reaching company goals, such as a certain number of days with a placement or receiving positive feedback about the employee from your client. This is also a great way to keep your clients engaged with your company!
Offer opportunities for career training.
Information and industry standards change regularly. Keep your employees ahead of the learning curve by giving them access to training classes and materials that will help them remain competitive in their positions. Investment in their continuing education not only benefits your employee but also your client and your bottom line – a happy employee will mention your name to other potential candidates.
Talk to your employees!
Don’t stop the flow of information once you’ve recruited talent. Always be up-front and truthful with your employees about policies and procedures that affect them, and make sure they fully understand your company’s processes. Confusion over payroll may seem like a minor concern, but sometimes that’s all it will take for an employee to seek a new position.
Listen.
Communication is a two-way street. Periodically, sit down with your employees (or have a phone conversation) and ask them about their experience with your company and at their placement; then, listen to them. There is no faster way to gauge an employee’s satisfaction or to identify potential problem areas than by going straight to the source.
Most importantly, when your employees do communicate problems or concerns reassure them that you understand their issues and that you will address them, and then follow through on your promise.
There is no set formula to keeping your employees happy, especially since individuals respond differently to different approaches. However, if you add these strategies to your employee relations mix you will quickly become known as a company that really cares about its talent – then, just sit back and watch the resumes roll in.
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