Keep your GOOD employees

So you’ve invested your time and money in training them.  They know the ends and outs of your business. They know your clients. Your clients know them.  The truth is, you can’t afford to lose them as an employee because retaining your best employees is critical in the success of your business.

There are several things that you can do to keep your good employees where they should be

    1. Offer competitive salaries and benefits. All employees are not motivated solely by money and all companies can’t offer increasing salaries.  Offset the salaries by offering valuable benefits.  Offer an extra week of paid vacation or the benefit of working remotely from time to time.  Be flexible with your employees work schedule.  Your goal as an employer is to keep your employees happy.  Competitive Salaries and benefits make employees happy.  Happy Employees don’t leave.
    1. Make sure your managers are trained. Employees leave their managers and supervisors more often than they leave their companies.  Not only should your manager evaluate your employees, but you should give your employees the opportunity to evaluate their managers.  Manager evaluations can be used as tools to improve your managers skills.  Finally,  if your manager is not performing in the position, put someone there who will perform.
    1. Offer a career not a job. Great employees want something to look forward to.  Offering career development programs, like tuition reimbursement and six sigma certifications, makes employees feel that you are investing in them.  It also gets your employees ready to be promoted within your company.
  1. RESPECT YOUR EMPLOYEES. Good employees not only want, but they deserve your respect.  They work long hours.  They put in work to make you money.  Tell them thank you for their hard work.  Acknoledge when they have done a good job.  Give them credit when they come up with a new idea.  Good employees know that they are good employees.  They also know that they can be just as good of an employee for someone else as they can for you.

As a business Owner, what do you do to keep your Great employees. As an employee, what makes you stay at your job.