Seven Steps to Improving Employment Commitment

In August of 2021 alone, 3% of Americans quit their current job. That's 4.3 million Americans who said, "That's it. I'm done with this job."

If you're an employer, this statistic is pretty scary. What happens if all of your staff decides that they're done with their jobs and want to move on? What if they all quit?

Well, the good news is that you can do something about improving employee commitment to keep your employees around for longer.

How? Keep reading and we'll tell you all about it.

1. Create a Welcoming Environment

People who feel welcomed and happy where they are are more likely to thrive and be more productive.

Think about it. When we're unhappy, we tend to mope around and drag our feet. However, when we're happy and feeling good, we want to help others, get more done, and cross things off of our to-do lists.

A few ideas to create an environment that employees want to come to are:

• Snack and coffee area

• Comfortable seating

• Ability to get up and walk around without feeling shame

• Outdoor areas for fresh air

• Staffroom for relaxing

With a more welcoming environment, your employees will feel like they belong and make them want to stay where they are.

2. Offer Career Growth Opportunities

If there is nowhere to move or grow in the company, people may start to feel stuck in their job. Providing opportunities to your employees to grow and develop in their job is crucial.

One way to do this is to sit down with your employees to create goals and a future career path for them. Not only will they feel recognized, but they'll also put more of their potential energy into their work. 

3. Bring in Outside Workshops and Training Courses

Bringing in workshops for your employees to participate in is a way to continue their growth and increase employee engagement in the company. Whether you hold a workshop on technical skills, personal communication, time management, a "how-to" on a job skillset, or something else, every workshop will improve employees' skills and mindset about the job.

These workshops can challenge your employees as well as build confidence, foster relationships, and create a community. Your employees will appreciate that you are investing in their development.

Workshops are also great for increasing employee retention because humans have a need for continued learning. Since we have a natural tendency to want to continue our learning, workshops can be a fun and engaging experience for many.

4. Conduct Employee Surveys

The best way to find out what employees want is to ask them.

Ask for their opinions on how things are going by providing a survey periodically with questions such as the following:

• What is one thing that you are enjoying about the company

• What is something that you wish could be improved and why

• Do you feel like you have a work-life balance

• How can we make you feel more supported as an employee

You can also offer an Engagement Survey.

5. Create Community With Team Building

Team building can energize employees since it is taking a step back from more tedious work. The skills that employees take away from team building can also help foster more creativity, productivity, comfortability approaching other team members, and more collaboration.

Your team will learn more about each other, build relationships, understand how to work with each other based on strengths and weaknesses, create a fun environment, and improve employee engagement and morale.

6. Give Access to Mental Health Resources

Workplaces that provide access to mental health resources come across as more supportive for their employees than those that do not.

As conversations surrounding mental health become less taboo, being able to talk about it with your employees is crucial to keeping them around and increasing employee commitment to the company. A few ways companies can prioritize mental health for their employees are as follows:

• Provide free subscriptions to apps like Headspace or Calm

• Create a room for relaxation in the office

• Provide incentives for employees who use mental health resources

• Give mental health days to employees once per month

If people feel like they are being cared for and are able to prioritize their mental health when they want to, they will be more likely to stay.

7. Be Flexible With Remote Work Accessibility 

After COVID-19 uprooted what we used to know about working environments and the corporate world, it's become apparent that having more flexibility in the workplace leads to happier employees.

While some people prefer to go into an office 5 days per week, others prefer to stay home most of the time and pop in when they want. If someone needs to take care of their sick child, being able to work from home gives them the ability to save their sick days for themselves.

Not only does remote work make employees happier, but it also saves money for companies and employees, increases productivity, and increases overall employee retention.

It's Time For You to Think About Improving Employee Commitment  

After reading the statistic about how many people quit their jobs in August of this year, you were probably at the edge of your seat, or couch, or bed... wherever you work these days.

But then you kept reading, and you realized that there are plenty of ways for improving employee commitment that doesn't require a ton of money and time.

If you think these will help (which they will), start trying them out this week! And if you want to improve your employee commitment even more, don't hesitate to reach out to us!