The Official Blog of Benifys HR Solutions

When it comes to listing factors that cause headaches for corporations today, big or small, then perhaps attrition comes out right on the top of the list. Keeping in mind the current economic scenario, here are some innovative ways to keep your employees happy and engaged without being too extravagant.


Small is Big
Surprise has a special value that cannot be compared to the biggest of raises; a gift certificate or perhaps a surprise team outing can go a long way in generating positive feelings amongst employees. To emphasize this point, consider this example:

Which is better?
1. A routine 20% corporate discount you get from a food chain (that you take for granted), or
2. A surprise gift coupon they provide as a gesture to appreciate your repeat clientele


Coach
Everybody has their share of problems, personal, professional or somewhere in between. Often times a fresh perspective on things is what is required to get past such bottlenecks. As an employer if you help employees at this level, efficiency will automatically soar, leading to better engagement and thus their loyalty towards you. Those attrition numbers would have never looked so good!


Find The Triggers
Not all people are motivated by the same things in life; what good would it be if you gift a vacation to an employee who is primarily motivated by money? Besides money, other things on this list are recognition, relationships, sense of purpose. Nevertheless the point is to find these triggers and make sure that you adopt the right treatment for the right employee.


Go Play
I know not all of us are in, umm, let’s say perfect shape; but a team sport could be anything competitive and need not necessarily be a contact sport (count paint-balling in!). Months and months of playing ‘pass the document’ and ‘who moved my coffee’ can make your employees dull and listless. Competitive sports are a liberating force where all become equal so you might just see the front line employee shout to the Manager “you need to up your game!”. Which is not always a bad thing.


Flexibility Not Rigidity
Arrangements like telecommuting, work from home and job sharing were invented for good reason and work very well with people who are serious about what they do and enjoy their work (maybe not with that new “a beer might help” kind of intern). So long as productivity does not suffer, these measures are worth trying out as certain people actually perform better this way. Let people decide how they wish to work.


Create Vision
People instinctively have a desire to know if they are headed in the right direction; reinforce that thought in the affirmative. If you are a big organization, internal career paths (vertical or lateral) could be created and communicated so that employees feel a sense of being their own master and generally not feel like being in a rut. Smaller organizations and start-ups use profit sharing incentives to the same effect.