Improving employee loyalty is key to the long-term success of a company. It decreases turnover costs as well as boosting productivity and increasing efficiency to provide a much more stable and profitable work environment. When a worker is loyal to their company, the priorities of the company become their own. This creates better results, more employee satisfaction, and better employee relationships.
Leadership Leads to Employee Loyalty
One of the most important elements of employee loyalty is confidence in leadership. Your staff wants to know that management has direction and is pointed toward an achievable goal. It’s important for all team leaders to be the example for their employees, showing strength and resoluteness to move forward. Make sure your managers are open and willing to accept employee feedback to improve themselves. When your employees see management excelling, they will want to be a part of it.
Employee Training
One of the most common sources of discontentment is a worker not having the know-how or the equipment to complete a task properly. It is the company’s responsibility to see that its employees are trained in areas where they are weak. Your company should have a training program set forth for any new equipment or new focuses for your workers. When an employee can enter his job with confidence knowing his value, he will be more inclined to stay loyal.
Avoid Micromanagement
Management has the entire company to worry about. A major part of employee loyalty is trust in a worker. Trust your workers to do the job they’re assigned and trained to do. Taking charge of every situation may feel like the right thing, but often times it can come across as overbearing and could show distrust toward your staff. If their performance begins to falter, advise them on how they can improve and receive feedback if there is any.
Reward Appropriately
Everybody wants to feel recognized for their achievements. When a staff member goes above and beyond, let them know that you appreciate their dedication to your company. Be liberal with your rewards but make sure that all your rewards match the deeds for them. A little goes a long way and a simple pat on the back can mean the difference in an employee’s productivity and loyalty.
Neutral Conflict Resolution
In-fighting can create a huge problem for a company. It delays productivity because one staff member may not want to work with another, which means you have to allocate time to make sure they are never on the same project together. It’s a huge waste of resources. Train your management in neutral conflict resolution. Management must remain neutral in any dispute within the staff. They are to act as a mediator and facilitate a mutually beneficial outcome for both parties involved. Occasionally, a manager may find themselves personally invested in the outcome. If this is so, teach them to delegate to a third party so neutrality can be maintained.
Stop Problems Before They Happen
Along with neutral conflict resolution, management should observe any red flags that a problem may generate. Management should keep their eyes and ears open to any complications that appear on the job. They should counsel the staff on the issue if needed. This lowers the chances of a major difficulty coming to a head.
Sometimes creating loyalty can be a slow building process. Trust has to be established and built between management and the staff. Every positive action, every move toward maintaining relationships, teaches your employees that they are important to your endeavors. Build on these good behaviors and your employees will show gratitude by being proactive and loyal.
Check out our Blog for more information on how a Time and Attendance Terminal could help your business.
While ATS is passionate about time and attendance and excited to support organizations navigate workforce dynamics around timekeeping and employee time clocks, we recommend you reach out to your regional and/or local HR chapter for more information on common workplace advice and procedures.
