As a business owner or employer, employee loyalty should be one of your top priorities and concerns. And the reason is simple. An increase in employee loyalty means a tremendous increase in productivity. But, unfortunately, every day, more and more people leave their jobs not because of low salaries but due to improper management from the employer. In fact, according to the ‘Employee Loyalty in the MENA’ survey, lack of trust in the management of the current employer (58%) is the top reason for not feeling loyal towards the company across the MENA region.
Many employers don't know that getting their employee's loyalty should start from the hiring process. It will either increase or decrease from there. However, employees will still leave their jobs for better job opportunities. With that in mind, we can conclude that employee loyalty is becoming history- hence the urgent need to develop a structure that encourages employee loyalty.
Now, the question is, how do you do that? Here are eight practical ways to encourage employee loyalty among your staff.
When your employee goes the extra mile in any task they were given, make sure you show appreciation and let them know you are impressed with their work output. An appreciated employee is a productive employee. There are a lot of low-cost rewards you can give them. So, make sure you reward them, either in words or in-kind but make sure the rewards match the work done.
When employees feel like they are being exploited by being paid less than they deserve, they tend to lose the needed motivation to give their best. Make sure you pay them equally as their peers doing the same work. Once they know that they are being paid less than their co-workers in the same job, they will feel devalued. This will also tremendously affect their productivity.
You have to ensure that you offer your employees competitive offers to make them feel important and increase their dedication to their jobs.
Involving your employees is one of the best ways to increase their loyalty and performance. However, you don't want your employees to feel disconnected from your company. The best way is to come up with strategies that get your employees involved in the daily running of your company.
One of the best strategies is to reiterate their roles and how vital their parts are to its growth. The truth is everyone has that desire to feel special, and what better way to do that than to make them know they play a unique role in the running of your company.
Being transparent is one of the best ways to increase your employees' loyalty. Nobody will feel comfortable working with a secretive boss. So always let them know how things are with the company. If you are doing well, make sure they know and if the company has any setbacks, let them know. Beyond making them loyal to you, they can even offer probable solutions to any issue your company faces. It's a win-win situation for you.
Employees feel a sense of belonging when working with a team to achieve a common goal. This makes them committed to the team and the company at large.
Investing in training and developing your employees is a great way to make them loyal to you. Of course, you will help your employees be more efficient in executing their roles, but you will also build trust and loyalty with them.
Every business was birthed from an idea/vision. When interviewing potential employees, make sure you look out for their personalities and see if they will fit in with your company's vision. Also, check how they respond when you talk about your visions and see if their goals match yours.
Your employees will be loyal to you when they see that you know what you are doing. They want to work with a company working hard to be the best in its field. You can make yourself better by going on training, requesting feedback, and never allowing opportunities to maximize your potential to pass you by.
When your employees see that their leader is excelling and the company is doing well, it increases their confidence in your leadership. And that will motivate them to be better in executing their roles.
Final Thoughts
Increasing employee loyalty takes time, and it requires a lot of patience. You don't have to implement all of these tips at once. Start with one, make sure it is working well before picking another. With time, you will see that not only are your employees loyal to you; their work performance will also improve tremendously.
