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The Struggle Is Real When It Comes To Hiring The Right People. So Make Sure You Retain Your All-Star Employees.

As the competition for top talent continues to grow, you need to shift your focus to also retaining the all-star employees you already have.

Staffing shortages are nothing new, but along with struggling to hire staff, 63% of small businesses have reported that keeping their current employees is an even bigger issue; with the top two reasons employees stay in their current roles being work-life balance and appreciation. One clear solution to this retention problem is employee advocacy programs; however, it is just as important to execute the program as it is to have one.

Tips for your Employee Advocacy Program:

• Clearly define your story: In order to create employee advocates, your employees must be able to clearly see what the brand is all about. Clear vision creates clear connection opportunities for like-minded team members.

• Celebrate to educate: Once you have clearly defined your Brand Story, you have established an awareness of your most inspiring aspects. You then need a plan to celebrate those ideas on a continual basis. Each time you celebrate, you reinforce the ideas and employees begin to not only believe in the messages, but they also recognize their role in the story. Celebrating your story in a way that educates and inspires team members to be a part of something bigger than themselves is the quickest way to ensure long-term relationships with them.

• Reward employees your way: Find ways to reward participation in the celebration of your story. Openly praise team members who are submitting content, leaving feedback, and acting as leaders in your brand communication strategy. Engaged employees should be recognized and rewarded. Look for unique ways to do this by tying the reward or concept of the reward into your story in some way. Yes, you have to always look for ways to educate on the story, even when you are deciding on a reward strategy! When you add meaning to your praise and rewards, you make the gesture more meaningful to the team member –which makes them feel appreciated, valued, and validated.