6 Mistakes Managers Make That Damage Employee Retention
A manager’s duty goes beyond completing projects. The most important task for any manager is to handle their team and ensure a higher employee retention rate. When an organization loses a talented individual, it suffers losses beyond anyone’s expectations.
Thus, being in a managerial role, it is up to you to handle your employees. We all know that a company’s success is indirectly related to its employees. After all, these individuals in your firm are the ones landing big projects that ultimately result in the firm’s increased revenues.
Identifying and retaining top talent is a compulsion. Being a manager, you are closer to your team members than the top management and in a better position to understand their grievances.
Sadly, most managers fail to recognize the agitation amongst employees, ultimately leading to unforeseen resignations. Here are six mistakes a manager makes that could damage the employee retention rate in their team. Fixing these problems can improve the situation.
Mistakes to Fix to Improve Employee Retention
1. Not Rewarding Employees
The primary reason why most individuals leave an organization is the failure to recognize and reward accomplishments. Just like children, adults also desire acknowledgment for their achievements, whether it’s landing projects or completing tasks within deadlines.
As the manager, it’s crucial to ensure your team receives the necessary recognition. Nominate your team members for company awards or other recognition programs. Disparities in appreciation among departments can lead to discontent, so it’s important to maintain a consistent and comprehensive reward system.
Moreover, consider implementing creative years of service award ideas or recognizing an employee of the month to express additional appreciation for hardworking individuals. Recognition systems have consistently proven to be effective in increasing employee retention and could also benefit your team.
2. Failing to Set Clear Expectations
Every manager must make sure that they clarify each team member’s role and responsibilities from the very start. Answer questions like: “What is expected of the employee?” and “What level of quality is needed?”, and “What is the meaning of success in the department?”
Once a manager can answer all these questions, they have a better relationship with the employee, and this also positively reflects on your team member’s job performance. The employee becomes aware of what the manager expects and performs accordingly.
In contrast, managers who fail to set clear expectations can never form the foundation of a strong work relationship, and employees under such managers end up looking for better options.
3. Not Trusting Team Members
Trust is another factor that can improve or damage employee retention. Managers who don’t build trust with their employees often fail to retain talented employees.
For example, if you’re giving a task to your team members, be certain they will strive to achieve the best results. Similarly, avoid hovering over employees and trust them with important matters.
Try establishing a few boundaries with employees so that they meet deadlines and feel confident about working under you.
4. Providing Vague Feedbacks
Every company has a policy of giving and taking feedback, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Managers have to provide feedback on employee performance and evaluate their growth.
However, most managers provide generic feedback, which is a problem on the employee’s side and can damage employee retention.
Instead of providing generic comments, give relevant comments highlighting the efforts of each employee.
The more personalized the feedback will be, the greater the chances of satisfying employees. Your juniors will feel happy knowing their managers are aware of their efforts and will continue to put in more creativity in their work.
Also read: How to Boost Conversions and Retention with Customer Intelligence
5. Being Inconsiderate of Employee Opinions
You might not feel like taking suggestions from your juniors, but it’s a mistake that could cost the company valuable resources. Always make your team feel included in almost every decision.
Whether it’s about adopting a solution for a present issue or taking on a new project, keep your team in the loop and ask them for their input. If you single-handedly make all the decisions and inform your team at the last moment, they might develop resentment towards you or the company.
Moreover, your team feels left out and detached from company matters when no one makes them a part of any decisions. It’s necessary to value an employee’s opinions, even if it’s regarding a new vending machine installation.
You don’t have to agree with them or immediately implement their suggestions, but at least let them know that their opinions matter.
6. Ignoring Employee Complaints
No matter what kind of department an employee works in, there will be some complaints regarding company management. In such circumstances, managers must step up to resolve the crisis.
Employees tend to get upset when their complaints are not catered to. As a manager, it is your responsibility to deal with the issues of all juniors. If you don’t pay attention to their complaints, employees will feel ignored.
Often, managers feel that issues of employees will go away on their own, but they don’t. Sometimes, these problems get worse with time, and instead of settling, individuals start looking for jobs elsewhere.
Therefore, to keep your best resources attached to you, come up with timely solutions to their problems. Keep in mind that fixing a problem will cost less than hiring a new talent and training them.
Conclusion
Your employees can be the sole reason for your company’s downfall, so invest your time and energy into these individuals. As a manager, ensure that everyone on your team is content with their working conditions and has no complaints.
The more you care for your employees, the higher the chances of retaining them for a lengthy period in the firm. Avoiding these minor mistakes at the right time can effectively reduce damage to employee retention.
