Employee turnover is the one of the biggest headaches that an organization faces and is incredibly costly not just in revenue lost, but in company morale.

Employee turnover is one of the biggest headaches that an organization faces. It is incredibly costly, not just in revenue lost, but in company morale. If you’re an employer with a stable, long-term staff, congratulations, you are in the minority. However, if your organization is facing high turnover it’s costing you big time. For example, if you are running a skilled nursing facility and you are constantly having to replace your front end employees such as CNA’s, dietary and housekeeping staff or even managers you are facing a nightmare almost every day. Your front end people are typically the employees that the families and residents interact with most.  They are the face and brand of your organization.  Too much turnover is a poor reflection on an employer’s operation. Not enough attention is placed on the retention of front end employees.

Not good.

The good news is that there are common sense easy solutions to employee turnover that are applicable to all employers. Here Are The 7 Things 1.  Hire right:  Even if there is a shortage in talent, never, ever hire anyone out of desperation.  Interview your front end employees the same way that you would hire a manager and, of course, check references. 2.  Communicate, communicate, communicate:  On a daily basis, communicate with your staff about your expectations.  Communicate your expectations clearly.  Let employees know that you expect them to stay at their jobs for at least 2-3 years. Even if they cannot keep that promise, then at least they know what your expectations are.  Most people want to please their boss. 3.  Praise for progress:  Everyone enjoys praise and no one ever gets tired of hearing it.  So offer praise for progress based on each employee’s ability no matter how small or how great.  Of course praising for success is critical but praising for progress is very important as well.  Again, employees really do want to please their boss and your show of support for their progress goes a long way to fostering retention. 4.  Show appreciation: When was the last time you told your employees how much you appreciate them and not just for their work? Your employees are doing the same things that you, as employers, are doing: they are trying to earn a living to support themselves and their loved ones.  Kind words and deeds showing appreciation makes people feel good about coming to work every day. 5. Have a “flip it day”:  Once in a while, choose a day when some lucky member of the staff becomes the boss and the boss does that person’s work for the day.  Simply flip jobs for the day or some variation in which a staff member is involved in difficult decision making.  This is very empowering and a true learning experience for both people. 6. Give a day off: Let’s be candid and acknowledge that time is our most precious commodity.  Why not arbitrarily give a hard working employee a paid day off?  Especially on a Friday or a Monday, to make for a 3 day weekend.  When someone is given a paid day off it might possibly be the best gift that one could give an employee.  Most of us do not have the time to do personal things such as visit a loved one, shop for our children or just go home and lay down!  A day to relax is priceless. 7. Say “thank you” at the end of every business day: This is huge.  Instead of taking the attitude that your employees should be grateful to be employed, thank them every day (at the end of the day) for coming to work.  Never take for granted that someone has chosen to work for you and they show up every day.  Say thank you! Bernie Rifkind You can learn more about Bernie and his firm Premier Search at  www.premiersearch.com.    Bernie can also be reached at [email protected] or (800) 801-1400.