One of the biggest - and most expensive - challenges a manager faces is retaining hourly employees.
It costs about $3,500 to replace an employee who makes $8 an hour. Luckily, increasing retention by empowering employees is both cheap and easy. Below is a list of the top five ways employers and managers can keep their employees empowered and increase retention.
Communication
New apps that have emerged throughout the last decade allow for easier communication between employees and management than ever before. This new technology gives employees and managers the ability to stay connected regardless of location. Now employees can get in touch with their managers and other staff members without sacrificing any of their time, on or off the clock. Empowering your staff to communicate with management and other coworkers will leave them feeling valued as both employees and as human beings.
Engagement
New technology and software has allowed employees to stay engaged with work even after they are done with a shift, or on days off. These software products make it easy for employees to stay engaged with their responsibilities and coworkers even when they are not on the clock. Fostering employee engagement leads to effective teamwork and strong relationships. Having close relationships with other employees increases retention and creates powerful team cohesion within the workplace. These social engagements increase overall efficiency, while fostering a community of empowered employees.
Productivity
Implementing practices that allow both employees and managers to be more productive - and subsequently, more engaged with their jobs - increases a sense of empowerment amongst staff. Providing the tools and resources for employees to do their jobs, not just better, but smarter, boosts morale and keeps everyone feeling motivated.
Accessibility
Empowering employees can be as simple as increasing accessibility. By having important information available to staff when and where they need it, employees are free to enjoy their days off without ever feeling in the dark about their next shift. Giving employees access to schedules and other essential information using online employee scheduling software shows employees that management respects their personal lives.
Autonomy
One of the most effective ways to empower your employees is to allow them to work autonomously. You hired them to do a job, and you should trust that they will, in fact, do it. Micromanaging is a foolproof way to dis-empower your employees. Take a step back, and let your employees do the work you hired them to do. By showing your employees you trust them to do their jobs without being micromanaged, they will work harder and feel more fulfilled.
These strategies to empower employees and increase retention can be implemented at little or no cost to the employer or manager. Start empowering your employees today, and stop wasting money constantly filling new positions. An empowered workforce is a productive workforce!