Healthy turnover is expected. However, when good employees leave, morale drops, productivity slows, and organizations pay a hefty price in direct and indirect turnover costs.

In a previous blog, we quoted Gallup. They write, “An astounding 42% of employees who voluntarily left their organization in the past year report that their manager or organization could have done something to prevent them from leaving their job.”

How Can Managers Prevent Employee Turnover?

It’s time to start talking. Engaging with employees and initiating meaningful conversations are the frontlines of defense against employees voluntarily leaving their jobs.

What conversations do managers need to have with their employees?

Talk about that paycheck:

As a manager, you need to be able to talk compensation with your staff. Yes, it’s uncomfortable. And it can be tense. That said, by being transparent about compensation, you can avoid misunderstandings and even identify where there are compensation gaps.

Look at the job description.

Based on the employee’s job description, show them the range of salaries for their role and where they stand.

Explain the compensation strategy of the organization.

This probably seems self-explanatory, but it's not uncommon for employees to not know the organization's compensation plan or benefits.

Talk benefits.

Show the employee other benefits the organization provides.

Listen.

What is your employee saying? What is their concern? Perhaps, instead of more money, they are looking for flex scheduling, stretch tasks, opportunities to grow by attending conferences, workshops, and continued education. Show the way forward. How can the employee grow and earn more in the company over time?

Set goals.

Set performance goals and a timeframe to check back in.

Be candid about the organization's financial health.

If you know your organization doesn’t have a budget to increase someone’s salary, do not string employees along. Be honest. Come up with other ways of compensation that might be just as meaningful.

Improve manager-staff relationships:

This doesn’t mean you need to start doing endless team-building experiences. There are some basic things every manager can do to improve their relationship with direct reports.

Trust your team to do their job.

This means you need to step back and stop micromanaging. Give trust to establish trust.

Conduct one-on-ones with direct reports.

Come up with agreements. In these meetings, both sides should align expectations, clarify roles, set goals and next steps, discuss available resources and support, prioritize tasks, and schedule the next meeting. This can help every manager understand their staff’s needs and aspirations, both personally and professionally.

Listen more. Talk less.

Use the two-to-one rule for active listening.

Follow-through on commitments.

When managers back out on things they’ve promised, they lose the trust of employees. This makes morale take a nosedive.

Fix the Copy Machine:

We’ve discussed occupational health and the importance of keeping everything up-to-date and working. And we’ll discuss it again. There are few things more maddening than outdated software, broken lighting, uncomfortable office and workspaces, and virus-muddled computers.

Find balance.

Poor staffing, workload, and scheduling can kill employee engagement. Gallup writes, “When managers don’t deal with problems, they become barriers to both organizational performance and employee retention.” When top performers aren’t supported by management, they can burn out.

How can managers ensure they are connecting with employees?

Set up a check-in schedule.

No manager should go more than two or three months without a check-in. This doesn’t have to be a formal meeting. But it needs to be a meaningful one. Document these conversations and follow up with a short email outlining expectations and agreements (of both parties). This will give your employees a map of where to go.

Budget for and conduct a yearly Employee Engagement Survey.

Based on the results, work together to implement meaningful actions. Use pulse-surveys to check in on specific actions every six months to see what’s working and what needs adjustments.

Much of turnover happens because nobody’s talking. Managers can’t afford to wait for employees to make the first move. Being proactive, connecting with direct reports, outlining responsibilities and job expectations, and showing a path toward growth and improvement are part of a strategic retention strategy. Retain top talent, one conversation at a time.

Things Every Organization Can do to Prevent Employee Turnover:

Employee Engagement Strategies to Retain Top Talent