Many studies show that one out of five workers is wishing to quit their current job. As an employer, of course, you want to make sure that you have the ability to keep your star employers stay with you no matter what.

It has been proven and tested that right after the Christmas Season, many tenured employees are starting to look for new jobs. There is just something in the air that makes employees ponder on whether or not they want to stay with their current company or not. Probably it’s because of the New Year’s Resolution thing. People get the chance to think thoroughly about their work because of the long vacation.

People have various reasons why they were wishing to leave their current work. One reason is that maybe they are just tired of what they do with their jobs and that they are no longer challenged with the tasks they are given. Another thing is that they might have seen a better opportunity than what they currently have or that their compensation is not anymore sufficient with their needs.

As an employer, it is expected that you will receive a boost in attrition rate after the Christmas season.

It’s just fine as you have a pool of possible candidates and that you have seen this one coming. However, what if your top performers are the ones who are wishing to leave?

Well, we don’t want that to happen. So here are some strategic ways on how to keep your key performers in the company:

Initiate a penalty- free discussion.

Get to know your employees well. You can do this by scheduling a regular meeting with them. Break the ice, as they say.

You can do this outside the office over lunch. Talk about their insights and opinions and ask for their suggestions on a certain project. Be sure that you will also make yourself ready with all the negativities that you are about to hear. Implement a no-penalty discussion so that you can improve your relationship with your employees at the same time they can contribute freely their ideas and insights for the company.

Create opportunities.

As a small business, of course, you do not have multiple layers of job promotions for your employees. However, you can make them feel that you are valuing their presence by simply creating new opportunities for them.

If you cannot offer them permanent job promotions, why not give them a sense of value and importance by asking them to participate in a mentoring program for newbies that you are thinking of. You can offer them additional pay for the additional work load.

Offer raises and office perks.

You can reward all your employees’ hard work by giving them little tokens of appreciation, especially on special events and occasions. In this manner, you are giving them something to look forward to.

Improve work-life balance.

Every employee gets stressed with work. Break the ice. Give them activities in which they can show their hidden skills and talents such as corporate parties, summer outings, family days and more. You are not just giving them more time for leisure, you will also get to know them and their family more.

Next Read: The R’s you cannot do without in ‘HR’: Recognise, Reward and Retain

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