Elements of retention

If some of your team members are not fully engaged, will they stay? “What is the cost of your team not operating at its full potential?” That question is fully loaded. Think of a giant baked potato with all the fixings — butter, bacon, cheese, chives, sour cream — the good stuff. This question is that heavy, courtesy of Jeff McManus, director of landscape services for The University of Mississippi and chief cultivation officer of the Jeff McManus Group.

McManus is well-known for his compelling keynote presentations, delivered nationwide and to a variety of associations, and the books he has written, “Growing Weeders into Leaders,” “Pruning Like a Pro” and “Cultivate.” He is better known as someone who cares deeply about forming teams, developing talent and creating an engaging workforce culture.

With his permission, we are sharing some information from the free webinar he hosted in March, “Seven Effective Ways to Retain Top Employees.” McManus stated that, according to the State of the Global Workplace report, more than half of employees express some level of intent to leave their job and 53 percent say now is a good time to find a job where they live.

Reflecting almost the same number, McManus communicated that a survey conducted by Indeed shows that 52 percent of employees experience burnout — a feeling that can lead to compromised health and reduced productivity. McManus also stated that research from Dale Carnegie found that engaged employees outperform their less engaged counterparts by as much as 200 percent. That’s a huge difference!

What could be accomplished if everyone was fully engaged and working to their potential? What can you be doing better and what are you already doing well to engage employees and experience the benefits of substantive retention? Here are seven measures to consider.

1. Establish and enforce values. When values are clearly shared throughout the hiring process you’re more likely to discern which candidates share those beliefs. The recruits know what is important from the beginning and they are more likely to be comfortable in that environment.
2. Provide opportunities for training and promotion. Make sure employees know what is expected of them and how to advance. They should understand how they can develop their skills and what that means for the organization and their personal growth. Support and encourage professional off-site development opportunities — industry events, volunteering and more.
3. Recognize performance. Whether it’s a particularly well-run meeting, work anniversary, completed project or a person going above-and-beyond — anything exceptional. Verbal praise is great. Tokens of appreciation are also worth thinking about, especially if it’s something people can use to adorn their workspace, like magnets or stickers. These serve as visible reminders and will reinforce the feeling of being appreciated. Always celebrate the good stuff.
4. Maintain team perspective. Intentionally help your employees understand their role on your team but also how the team contributes to the overall organization. Where does your team fit in and why does it matter? Providing perspective helps people feel more engaged and valued.
5. Compensate well. Invest in employees and make sure compensation packages align with or exceed those of your competitors. Better compensation elsewhere is the No. 1 reason that people will leave. Consider a bonus program and think about what can be offered beyond traditional benefits — team meals, additional time off, seasonal surprises and special extras.
6. Communicate frequently. Communicate often and with purpose. Talking, texting, sending emails and updating task boards are all ways to stay connected. Ensure that people feel comfortable sharing ideas. Leaders need to be especially approachable, conversant and active.
7. Conduct annual evaluations. Good employees are interested in how they’re doing and how they can improve. Making time for annual performance reviews enables you to formally communicate expectations and ask for constructive comments about your performance and the organization.

These seven elements help create an environment where engaged employees thrive and retention increases. You can also offer opportunities for autonomy and decision-making to empower employees and demonstrate your trust in their abilities; keep team tasks aligned with defined goals; provide employees with the information they need; make administrative tasks easy; and lead by example.

Make sure the staff knows that you advocate for them. When discussing human resources issues with executives, remember that data is more powerful than opinion statements and retention is less costly than recruiting. Zig Ziglar, a salesman, author and motivational speaker said, “There is only one thing worse than training employees and losing them, and that’s not training them and keeping them.”

Do what you can to engage with and retain your crew. Sure, sometimes staff are encouraged to move into positions of greater responsibility elsewhere because they are well-trained, and they have earned it. Those are exceptional moments of which everyone can be proud.

Establishing an integrated team culture lifts the organization, so start by sharing values and company goals with the people you hire. Go all in on the loaded baked potato and help your team operate at its full potential. You are talented managers. You deserve to lead a crew of employees that continues to develop year after year.

Lee Carr is a northeast Ohio-based writer and senior Golf Course Industry contributor. Jeff McManus can be reached via email at jeff@jeffmcmanus.com or online at jeffmcmanus.com.