What is the Importance of Benefits on Employee Retention?

A few months ago, we noticed a lot of the people we hired for a client’s business were quitting.

 

It didn’t make sense. The client seemed to be a great employer.

 

They paid well and they offered great benefits – healthcare, vacation time, all the usual perks.

 

We sent them quality employees – not the quit-on-a-whim type.

 

But many were sprinting out the door.

 

It got so bad I decided to interview the employees to discover what was going on.

 

I knew we were missing something.

 

Whatever it was, the client was as clueless as we were.

 

Little did I know it was going to stare me in the face when I arrived.

 

And I mean STARE.

 

The moment I stepped in the office, I noticed the cameras. Not security cameras facing outside. Cameras facing in, watching each employee at their desk.

 

Employees ask me all the time: “What’s the importance of benefits on employee retention?”

 

I tell them good pay and benefits are critical to retaining employees.

 

But those cameras reminded me: Good pay and benefits are worthless if your employees feel disrespected and distrusted.

 

Good pay and benefits only work if you combine them with good company culture.

 

Give the People What They Want

 

Those cameras may have seemed like a good idea to the employer. Discourage slacking off or theft. Keep everyone in line.

 

But how did that make the employees feel?

The ex-employees voted with their feet.

 

The current employees hadn’t said anything about it – because their supervisors hadn’t asked.

 

The first step to building a healthy company culture: Ask your employees what they want.

 

The second is finding a way to give it to them.

 

It’s that simple.

 

Maybe it is better healthcare or vacation time, but sometimes people want something different.

 

Sometimes they prefer not to have a video camera staring at them every minute of the workday.

 

Culture is Key

 

We found that our employees value a work culture that brings us together.

 

For us, that means allowing dogs in the office sometimes, happy hour on Fridays, and other group activities that make us feel like a team.

 

But there’s more to it than that. Our employees know we care about them. We trust them. We respect them. We value their opinion. They’re part of the team.

 

For your business, it can be something different than happy hours or group outings.

 

But all businesses need to master the caring, trusting, and respecting part.

 

Your employees have to enjoy coming to work every day. They have to feel good about working for you.

 

You may not think of culture as a “benefit.” These aren’t the old-school style of benefits.

 

But caring, trusting, and respecting matter to employees – more than a few extra days of vacation or a good health plan.

 

And they’ll leave if you don’t give them what matters to them.

 

So listen to what your employees want. And if you want to keep them, find a way to provide it.

 

Employee Benefits are Important for Retention, But…

 

…Hiring the right employees matters even more.

 

Doing it right takes knowing why they’re great, and most important of all, why they’re a great fit for your business.

 

That takes skill, talent, and experience. Especially in today’s world.

 

At Snelling, we have years of expertise in hiring and retaining the best employees for any specific business.

 

Give us 30 minutes to share how our recruiting and screening process will give you the right candidate, the first time.