By Stephanie San Antonio and Kyla Seabrook, SSA Insurance Services
The most important thing you can do for your employees, after you’ve successfully onboarded them and provided a stellar first experience, is to protect the things they care about the most. When asking what motivates employees to come to work every day, the answers won’t surprise you: family, money, and career advancement. While these aren’t the only motivators, if these three areas aren’t given the proper attention, your employees may not stick around for the long haul.
Employee turnover is costly…it’s not only expensive to recruit and hire, but it takes time, energy, and can be a very stressful task, affecting company morale. By listening to what your best workers want, treating them well, and respecting their personal lives and goals, you can set both them (and your business) up for success. Below are some specific ways you can protect the things your employees love!
Family
Help protect your workers’ health and wellbeing by providing your employees with a comprehensive benefit package. By surveying your workers to find out what type of insurance needs they have and what medical groups their doctors belong to, you can tailor your insurance options so that they are relevant to your workforce. While your company may already offer a comprehensive benefit package, are you properly educating your employees on their benefit options and giving them enough time to understand the ins and outs of each plan? Work with your broker to assist your employees with selecting the most appropriate coverage for themselves and their families at open enrollment since they only have one time of year to choose their benefits. You may also consider incorporating voluntary benefits in order to enhance your benefit package while not costing you much more. Benefits like Voluntary Accident insurance, Hospital Indemnity, and Critical illness insurance provide an extra layer of financial protection over and above standard medical insurance plans. These types of policies can also incentivize employees to get their yearly check-up with their doctor when there is a Wellness Benefit rider attached to the policy. You can also implement a Wellness Program to incentivize and reward your staff for proactively managing their health. By fostering a healthy work environment and promoting healthy behaviors, your staff will live happier lives, take less sick time, and be more engaged at work. You can also offer your employees life insurance, either as a company-sponsored or voluntary benefit, which gives them an easier way to obtain the coverage rather than seeking it out themselves. Group term life and voluntary term life policies can be very inexpensive and easy to implement. And finally, consider giving your employees the freedom to work from home. This is a growing trend right now as employees are looking to avoid daily commutes and work on a schedule that enables them to still be there for their family.
Money
With almost 90% of working Americans worried about finances, there’s no surprise that compensation is one of the most important motivators, so make sure your employees’ performance and compensation are reviewed regularly. Do some research to make sure their wages are competitive/comparable to what other businesses within the same industry and area are offering, and make any adjustments as necessary. As your employees take on more tasks over time, evaluate if their compensation is still fair for the amount of work they do or if it needs to be raised. You may also offer an employer-sponsored retirement plan or stock options as a reward for staying with the company for a certain length of time. If you offer a 401(k) you can also encourage your employees to contribute to their retirement savings by turning on an “automatic enrollment” feature where the employer will automatically put a specified percentage of their salary into the employee’s 401(k) unless they opt-out.
Career Advancement
Your most engaged and talented workers will want to grow with the company. Set them, and your company, up for success by designing a Career Development plan to help them get where they want to be. If your staff see that you are investing in their professional development they’ll want to stay and they’ll show their appreciation in their work. Performance evaluations should be held regularly to see if there are any employees that stand out as good candidates for a higher-level positions within the company. Always post new job openings internally so your team sees opportunities for advancement and work hard to get promoted.
Although this may be a lot of information at once, just begin to focus on one strategy at a time and come back to this article when you are ready to take on another. Always remember that communication and feedback are key to finding out what your workers value most. By listening to what your team wants and needs, and accommodating those requests, you are making a difference in their lives which will instill in them loyalty and ultimately reduce turnover.
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Since 2013 SSA Insurance Services has been helping organizations of all sizes to promote and protect the health and wellness of their most important asset: their employees. Stephanie San Antonio and her team do this by working with employers to design, implement, and maintain a company culture that is in line with their mission and values, and building a comprehensive benefit package that attracts and retains their top talent. Because their team believes in putting health first, all SSA clients receive a complimentary wellness program tailored specifically to their business. Call SSA at (760) 203-4299 for more information on how they help design a benefit program and company culture that work hand in hand to create an environment where people are inspired to stay healthy and work hard to help their company reach success.