Happy and productive employees are the building blocks of a successful company. It is true that companies have to consider the various ways they can retain their employees during difficult times. This is an especially stressing subject even as we reach the end of 2020. Social distancing is still in effect in the UAE and we are still wearing our masks out of fear of the law and for our health. It is quite a tricky situation to find the right balance of working from home and from office as we continue to strive to bring things back to normal. This is when it becomes important adopting creative ways to keep your employees motivated and totodoootoloyal to your leadership and in the company. Here are 5 Employee Retention Strategies for you to consider.

1. Maintain formal and informal recognition programs.

Recognition programs are a staple for any progressive and well-off companies. They can inspire creativity, increase engagement and ensure that the workforce is not brought down by negativity. This is applicable to both formal and informal programs. Many companies have discontinued such programs due to remote working practices. Resuming those activities can negate the effects of the abnormality that we are all in, to an extent. Some suggestions for informal recognition programs are as below.

• Offering sincere thanks and appreciation of success during team meetings and a follow-up email.
• Acknowledging team contribution for a task completed or job well done.
• Hosting online success celebrations to mark major milestones completed or project completions.

Formal recognition programs are the incentive programs for sales teams.

2. Provide professional development opportunities

Professionals today are always on the lookout for opportunities for self-development, personally and professionally. Such enhancements in your staff, in terms of skills, will ultimately benefit the company, provided the staff continues to work for the company. In that sense, the company has a philosophical responsibility to support, not just encourage, such professional developmental activities to learn and grow. Provide team members with opportunities such as:

• Virtual conferences or webinars.
• Online training courses.
• Access to relevant online training materials such as MasterClass.

Such professional developmental programs will only motivate, engage and increase productivity among employees.

3. Implement extended health, safety and wellness programs

Health and safety has obviously become a growing concern among all of us during these dark times. It becomes the responsibility of the company to ensure the health and wellness of the employees since a healthy employee is a happy and productive employee and this directly equates to employee loyalty.

4.     Have clearly defined roles and responsibilities; and contingencies to accommodate day-offs.

Have a clearly drawn roles and responsibilities for each member of the team so that everyone is aware of their roles and has a back-up to accommodate illness or other COVID-19 related disturbances. This can improve operational stability and ensures business continuity as it helps in the completion of essential tasks. It also provides an assurance to the employees that they are a priority to the company as they will be able to take day offs in case of emergencies and their team members can share the load evenly.

5.     Encourage a work-life balance while working remotely.

It is still critical to find equilibrium between one’s professional and personal life in order to keep them happy, even during the pandemic where they are working from home. Employees living with their respective families have a lot to juggle between along with their work. Due to which the company has to allow them flexibility with working hours while ensuring productivity. As a team leader or part of the company management, be considerate about each team member’s situation and work together to find a creative solution to their problems.