With the challenges facing businesses hiring workers in today’s competitive marketplace it becomes more and more important to retain our most important assets – our workers. In this article we will look at some proven strategies that can be useful in retaining our new and young workers. We will look at ways to reduce turnover, build a team and create an inclusive place that people want to be part of.

It started while I was talking with Alicia the other day. She just quit her new job.

“Alicia, what happened?” I asked

“They didn’t talk to me” She said, “My orientation was a tour around the store and then they gave me a policy manual. I was put at my cashier station for the day. No one even talked to me in the few weeks I was there- the boss would come in and say good morning and that would be the last I saw of them.”

“I didn’t really feel like I fit in,” She continued. “My supervisor was ok but she was busy all the time.” 

“I made a mistake reading a price tag and my boss came up to me and really gave me grief. I didn’t remember to check the sales price. I told her I was sorry and that I was trying my best but she just shut me down- so I quit. Who wants to stay at a place that doesn’t care?”

I have heard the same story or a variation of the same theme frequently. So often the young workers are put into positions where they just don’t feel like they belong and in a place that doesn’t seem like it cares. The resulting turnover and can be both costly and time consuming. In today’s competitive marketplace entry-level jobs are both abundant and easily accessible. Alicia found a new job the same day.

As employers we carefully screen the applications, conduct meaningful interviews and then hire our new worker. Next is usually an orientation where we share our policies, introduce them to the other staff and show them their duties. Fingers crossed they are everything we hope for. After checking in periodically we see that our new worker is a competent and quick learner- check one- we seem to have a winner, someone who will stick around and be productive in his or her new role. If they get along with everyone, show up on time, don’t call in sick and continue to produce we have found a real winner.

Then shock- they quit, we get a text or receive a message and they are gone and we are left wondering what happened. Our follow up calls either go unanswered or we get a vague response that “it didn’t work out”.

Then it’s back to the drawing board, re-post the position, screen the resumes and repeat. In some of the larger organizations it is an ongoing process.

A new or young worker is a work in progress. Often developing sense of self and without an established work ethic, keen to learn but sometimes without knowing how, these new workers do not yet have a solid foundation to flourish. As employers we often need to take on a multi- faceted role to ensure the success of our new hires.

These new and young workers often need more coaching and ongoing mentoring to fully realize their amazing potential.

A useful analogy can be to compare our employees to plants. Starting with a seed we carefully germinate it, care for it and if all environmental conditions align we get a new plant. We tend the plant until it starts to flourish and then we plant it in a place that it will thrive. We do not just leave it but check on it frequently. If it is a prize plant we monitor it daily and ensure that it has everything it needs to prosper. The valuable employees are no less important than a prize plant. Often our schedules or work demands do not enable us to continuously monitor our employees. We leave the monitoring to our trusted supervisors, managers and leads and if they falter in their support the new employees can be left untended without their unique needs being met- leading to job dissatisfaction- a potentially volatile situation.

By examining what we value at work can give us insight to what a new and young employee could value. By looking at what would make our work place more inclusive will help us realize the unique needs of our staff.

Are there ways to improve the communication with your employees- do you really know what they would need to make their experience with you better and more productive?

• Take the time to improve your supervisors management skills- ask them what they would need to improve their effectiveness. Have clearly defined tools to help them measure success and use proven accountability methods to help them determine their style and methods.

• Don’t just trust everything is OK. Take the time to ask questions and listen to the answers. Often organizations look for ways to confirm their excellence and miss opportunity for growth

• Actively try to improve and grow. This culture of continuous growth establishes the organization of one that looks after its people and creates a place that people want to be a part of.

• Build a team. Like any successful sports organization all the players contribute and celebrate the success of the individuals. The wins and losses are shared.

• Create a sense of belonging by sharing the company’s vision and philosophy. Try to get buy in by the employees through an inclusive and collaborative approach.

• Look at individual needs and the changing environment both socially and personally. This gives managers an customized approach for anticipatory strategies.

Re-evaluate your work place. Can you find new ways that will improve systems and policies? Look at the businesses that retain workers- what do they do to keep their staff happy and their turnover low.

Create a sense of place where employees want to be. Make it a place where people feel respected and listened to. Make it a place that people want to stay and feel connected.

Creating a place of belonging will pay dividends in job retention, employee satisfaction and an increased bottom line.

David Rossi -Author, Speaker, Mentor helps parents, business and educators with youth engagement and retention strategies