Adding the right machinery provides real results. Understand the impact at these shops.
The stone industry experienced a surge of business during the pandemic, putting pressure on employers to navigate employee retention. Since the pandemic, employees have reevaluated their priorities for job requirements. What was offered and accepted prior clearly doesn’t cut it anymore, as 40% of Americans are considering quitting their jobs.
Replacing productive employees affects your bottom line, from the training process to the increased workload strain on existing employees. The key to retaining employees is ensuring a stable work environment. For your company to continue growing, it’s crucial to retain your top workers.
Hiring and Onboarding
Employee retention begins from day one: hiring the best fit. During the hiring process, provide clarity for the role, outlined with job requirements and day-to-day expectations to attract only serious, qualified applicants.
During onboarding, outline clear expectations, milestones, and deliverables. A structured onboarding program sets the tone for comfortable employee engagement.
Tips for successful hiring and onboarding:
- Use a 90-day onboarding checklist
- Provide training materials
- Offer avenues for support and guidance
- Cover company guidelines and expectations
- Engage in team introduction events
Establishing a Company Culture
Stone and metal fabricators have faced labor shortages for a number of reasons, but it’s often heavily due to company culture. Establishing a healthy, productive company culture requires employers to invest in resources and initiatives.
Manager Development
Genuine manager and employee relationships are built on trust and boundaries. Poor management practices are a concern, as 75% of employees quit their job to “get away” from their manager. Encourage managers to create an open dialogue and sense of belonging by finding common ground with employees.
Tips for manager development:
- Utilize one-on-one conversations
- Reexamine company policy and incentives
- Show compassion to employees
Professional Growth
Motivate your employees to perform with sufficient advancement opportunities. It can be discouraging to witness consistent outside hires filling open positions, leaving current employees feeling disengaged. Retention rates increase when there’s a clear path to career advancement.
Tips for providing professional growth opportunities:
- Promote from within
- Provide ongoing training programs
- Utilize senior-level mentorship
- Offer educational resources and tools (workshops, books, online courses, videos, etc.)
- Use a visible performance dashboard
Recognition
Recognizing employees and the work they do demonstrates investment and commitment to their performance. Humans want to feel appreciated, as 40% of people report they received recognition only a few times a year (or less). Leverage full potential with authentic, frequent acts of recognition to inspire confidence and impact-driven results.
Tips for increasing employee recognition:
- Encourage mental health awareness.
- Perform gestures of kindness and support (food-delivery gift cards, hand-written notes, birthday and anniversary acknowledgment, etc.)
Compensation
Employers should constantly evaluate and adjust employee salaries to remain competitive. Improved perks and benefits will raise overall job satisfaction and boost morale.
Tips for providing adequate compensation:
- Give out employee bonuses.
- Offer health care benefits, retirement plans, and/or paid parental leave.
- Offer fitness reimbursement, education debt repayment programs, and/or pet insurance.
- Provide a total compensation statement.
- Utilize effective, small-scale perks (flexible schedules, casual Fridays, sporting event ticket discounts, team lunches, etc.)
Communication
Communication is crucial for retention, so much so that lack of proper communication has been known to sink even the most stable of workforces. Accessible communication channels allow for collaboration and the freedom to voice concerns.
Tips for improving company communication:
- Implement an open-door policy.
- Acknowledge personal difficulties.
Performance Reviews
Schedule monthly or quarterly employee performance reviews to periodically track strengths and weaknesses. This is an ideal time to discuss feedback and attainable milestone goals.
Employee Feedback
It’s not always easy for employees to share genuine positive or negative feedback. Send an anonymous survey for comments on overall attitude, proposed changes, and interesting ideas. Don’t allow feedback to fall by the wayside—be sure to provide a response in a reasonable timeframe.
Park Industries is a third generation family-owned business, built on family roots and leadership as strong as our equipment. We understand retention is a critical component of success. Our unique, infectious company culture is built on three values: trust, integrity, and respect. We call it “The ParkWay.”
Contact us today to experience the most dependable, high-precision manufacturing solutions, or check out our job openings and become a part of the Park Industries family.
