For UK recruiters preparing for the Christmas peak season, including Black Friday and other key events in the final four months of the year, the focus goes beyond hiring.
Once those staff have signed their contracts, getting them onboarded successfully and retaining them through the peak season is crucial. Losing people, especially through the busiest time of year, disrupt operations, inflates recruitment expenses, and impacts productivity.
Here, we explore some top strategies for boosting employee retention and ensuring you’re not stuck in the hamster wheel of continued recruitment at one of the busiest times of the year.
- Using Employee Benefits to Boost Retention
When was the last time you benchmarked your salaries? With expectations of businesses and candidates often mismatched, making sure you can demonstrate you are paying the “going rate” for the industry and role will help you retain talent.
If pay cannot be increased, look at what benefits you can offer to gain the edge over competitor businesses. This is even more important for minimum wage roles, as employees need to see the value in staying with your company over moving to a job that pays the same in a different company.
Listening to workers is key - what matters to them? What do they think is a valuable benefit? So many businesses roll out the same benefits to all regardless of what their staff want. Tailoring your offer to your employees means it will be more cost-effective.
- Clear Communication and Expectations
People work better when they know what is expected of them, what deadlines they are working to and that the expectations are realistic. Making sure new hires fully understand their roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations from the very start. Set achievable targets, make sure the job description is an accurate reflection of the work itself and give regular feedback. Clear communication builds trust and engagement, creating an environment where employees feel valued and motivated to stay.
- Recognition and Rewards
Create a culture of appreciation within your organisation. Acknowledge outstanding performance through regular conversations, more formally with certificates, or even rewards like vouchers or freebies. Public recognition can boost employees' sense of value and their motivation to remain with your company. Something as simple as a weekly “shout out” for management and peers to hold up examples of excellent performance can be a free and easy way to create a more positive culture.
- Workplace Transport: A Smart Move for Businesses
An innovative approach to improving employee retention during the Christmas peak season is offering an employee shuttle service. Workplace transport can support workers with difficult or expensive commutes - improving punctuality, reliability and morale.
With cost-neutral routes available, employers can have a huge impact on employee retention with very little, or even zero, upfront costs.
- Investment in Employee Training and Development
Employees at all levels need opportunities for growth and development. Many workers in low-paid roles don’t have access to learning and development opportunities which leaves them unmotivated and gives them no reason to stay. You’ve spent money hiring them, onboarding and training them - giving them access to a training programme will help retain them. And it doesn’t have to cost a lot, giving regular appraisals and signposting free online courses can show your commitment without hitting your budget.
- Creating a Positive Work Environment
How many times have you heard the phrase “people don’t leave companies, they leave managers”? A positive work environment is so important if you’re going to stop employees from leaving. Encourage teamwork, open communication, and a supportive atmosphere. Arrange team-building activities or social events to strengthen bonds among employees. When people look forward to coming to work and feel safe while there, they're more inclined to stay.
- Prioritising Employee Wellbeing Initiatives
Supporting employee wellbeing is vital. A survey by Indeed showed 97% of those surveyed agreed that prioritising worker happiness makes it easier to retain talent. You can boost wellbeing by providing access to counselling services, offering gym memberships, or supporting employees through the cost of living crisis by supporting commutes or providing free meals.
- Active Listening to Employee Feedback
Listening to your employees is critical for employee retention. Conduct regular surveys or one-on-one meetings to ask for feedback and allow them to raise concerns. Act on this feedback, and shout about what you’ve done in response to issues raised, to demonstrate that you value worker’s feedback and are dedicated to creating a better workplace.
- Career Progression Opportunities to Retain Talent
Employees frequently leave their jobs in pursuit of superior career opportunities. To retain talent, provide a well-defined path for career advancement within your organisation. Advocate for internal promotions and provide training and mentorship. When employees can see a future with your company, they are less likely to explore opportunities elsewhere.
As recruiters prepare for the Christmas peak season, it's crucial to focus not only on getting workers through the door but also on retaining the talent you source. In industries like manufacturing and logistics, pay and benefits are often very similar - giving employees no reason to stick at a job if they are offered work elsewhere.
Making sure you’ve got a clear employee retention strategy is a cost-effective way to ensure a stable and motivated workforce during the busiest time of the year.
Have you developed a retention strategy for Peak recruitment season?
If your employees struggle with unavailable public transport, expensive commutes or you just can’t offer any other benefits then get in touch to see how a shuttle bus could help. Workplace transport can be cost-neutral - giving you a cost-effective way to ensure a reliable workforce without a large bill.
