How Does Happy Birthday Create Happier Employees?
The 5 Essential Components to Retaining Key Employees
See this amazing woman right here? She celebrated a birthday last week and our birthday committee made sure she felt celebrated – for the 14th time. That’s right – Jennifer Sekosky has been with DCC for more than 14 years! According to the US Department of Labor – ‘the median number of years workers have been with their jobs in the U.S. is 4.2 years.’ Jen, amidst others at DCC, has blown that statistic out of the water. And Jen’s not just any employee – she’s the best. She is devoted, productive, intuitive, creative and clients and co-workers alike all love to work with her. So what’s the secret?
There are 5 essential components to retaining key employees:
Opportunity – make sure you have your employees in the roles that best suit their abilities and then give them opportunity to grow.
Recognition – When a job is well done – make sure your employees know it. And you don’t have to hold a trophy ceremony for every new client. Simple recognition of work and outcomes helps employees to further vest themselves into the future of the organization. Communication – Making sure your employees know what is expected of them and receive regular feedback. Clarity about expectations, earning potential, deadlines and performance help to provide a framework for employees to feel secure and included. Also creating an environment where employees can voice their ideas strengthens their dedication to the organization as a whole.
Support the Whole Employee – Go beyond just offering work perks and professional development. Make sure your employees know you support them outside of work in their efforts to be the best versions of themselves. And last but not least…Culture
Culture – Your company culture is made up of the values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors shared by your organization. These ideas are shown in spoken and unspoken ways. Small things (like birthday celebrations) and Margarita Fridays and bigger issues (like flexible work environments) come together to give employees an overall sense of identity of the organization they work for.
At DCC, we believe creating a culture of work hard – play hard, we have your back, become an expert at your field, service the client to the end of time and have fun doing it – is a really important part of the glue that hold us together and keeps employees like Jen with us for more than 14 great years (so far!).
But Jen says it best herself: “It is hard to imagine another company that would provide the growth and learning opportunities, integrity, friendship and culture that DCC provides. Plus, as an account supervisor I am able to do so many things I enjoy – develop relationships with clients, tackle new challenges every day, and most importantly celebrate the results of our efforts when our clients experience success.”
The bottom line is.. failing to keep key employees is one of the most costly issues to a company’s… If you’re struggling to find the right mix that leads to the road of retention – start with these few focus areas and you will see a big difference in the loyalty department.
Jen’s Birthday Surprise
