Gathering feedback: The 'real way' to retain employees

Employers are being urged to gather feedback from employees in order to come up with an effective strategy that can retain top talent.

A whitepaper from EZRA has underscored that gathering feedback is the "only real way to know" how to retain employees.

"You may worry that asking for feedback would feel like a chore for your employees, but many of them actually want to provide it," the whitepaper said.

Gathering feedback can be carried out in multiple ways, such as anonymous surveys or tapping on an independent organisation to do the work.

"Without this feedback, it is impossible to know what you're doing right, and what you could stand to improve," the paper said.

According to the paper, feedback is most important in guiding and directing organisations with their retention attempts, which should vary between employees.

"There is no sense in implementing a strategy that focuses on certain factors if half of your workforce isn't affected by them," the paper stated.

The strategies for retention

With retention strategies needing to be unique for every employee, the report noted that some of the best ways include focusing on communication issues and allowing flexibility in location, methods, and hours.

"For certain companies or roles, [offering flexibility] may not be possible, but those with children or who act as carers, for example, will appreciate you making the effort to accommodate them," the paper said.

Other retention strategies include establishing boundaries and promoting holistic programmes to support employees' mental health.

"And support them when it comes to learning and development; encourage them to spend time with a trainer or coach who can provide them with one-to-one guidance, especially with more nebulous skills such as resilience which are so important right now," the paper read.

Find out more on how to effectively retain staff in this whitepaper from EZRA.