Top tips for employee retention and engagement

Employee retention and engagement are essential to building a thriving workplace. Good practices can reduce turnover costs and maximise team productivity. At Westcotts, we are proud to have achieved a Gold accreditation in Investors in People—a recognition of our commitment to our employees and developing a positive work environment.

Many companies are seeing unhappy team members leaving and then finding it difficult to recruit the right person. How can we retain and engage our team members when faced with this situation?

Simon Irvin, Head of Human Resources at Westcotts, offers his top tips for retaining and engaging employees.

Recruitment

The starting point for good retention and engagement is with good recruitment, and screening for stability can be a great indicator. For example, if you receive a CV that shows a candidate changes jobs every six months to a year, there may be a higher possibility that they won’t stick around for long compared to someone else who stays with employers for several years. Involving line managers in the process lets everyone be actively involved in the interview process. When they have a say in the selection process, they’re more accountable and invested in their new team member’s success.

Psychometric tests can allow hiring managers to see if candidates have suitable qualities as an individual. These can reveal valuable insights into candidates’ personalities and how well they will fit into the company culture. Some of the things you may want to know can include if they prefer to be persuasive or take the lead, are sociable, innovative, or decisive. In terms of team personalities, you can look at Belbin’s team types. Pick the wrong person and there will likely be friction and frustration, and this can end in the person leaving.

Growing new talent can also be a great way to show you invest in people. In 2024, Westcotts was named one of the Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employers. As part of the Apprenticeships Ambassador Network South West, we’re proud of our commitment to fostering apprenticeship opportunities. In addition, we previously hosted a series of young professional networking events in our Plymouth office where people from fellow firms came to meet and socialise.

Communication

Effective communication is at the heart of a productive, engaging workplace. When team members feel heard, valued, and informed, they are more likely to stay engaged and motivated. Clarity is paramount to ensuring that team members understand their roles, responsibilities and expectations. When they know what is expected of them, they can perform their duties more effectively, reducing misunderstandings and errors.

Regular feedback and six-monthly appraisals also allow for exchange between managers and team members and builds a key trust element. This helps team members feel heard and valued and overall can help them improve their performance. This is also a great chance for team members’ achievements to be recognised, boosting morale, motivation, and job satisfaction. Identifying opportunities for growth can see people gaining well-deserved promotions, such as the recent double promotion in our Plymouth office marking the continued growth of the Corporate Team.

This feedback time is also ideal for conflict prevention. Team members can give views, ask questions and get a better understanding on anything they could be unhappy about, helping to maintain a positive work environment and preventing issues from escalating.

Leadership

Effective leadership is essential to employee retention. Statistics reveal that many employees leave jobs due to poor leadership rather than the job itself. Respectfulness, approachableness, trustworthiness and empathy are just some of the qualities found within a good leader.

There are several ways to understand how good a leader you are, or to develop your leadership skills, many of which are free such as asking for and listening to feedback, 360-degree feedback and the CIPD/HSE Stress management competency indicator assessment. Ongoing leadership training and development is also crucial to be able to unlock areas of strength and opportunities for growth for the leader and the team.

Understanding your Team

Understanding what motivates your team members can significantly impact retention. While all employees appreciate respect and want to do a good job, individual motivations may vary and evolve during their employment. Over time you may get to know these, however, to help you can also use the following:

• Use your appraisal structure/process to ask team members what motivates them.
• Use team surveys to discover motivations and try to improve through their suggestions.
• Ask team members to complete motivational questionnaires this can help pinpoint specific factors.

Benefits

From gaining a better understanding of your team members you can find benefits that are most valuable to them. Some of these won’t cost you anything, such as:

• Flexible working times
• Hybrid working options
• Acknowledgement (thanks and praise)
• Feeling included and finding their work enjoyable and makes a difference/adds value
• Activities and charity fundraisers

At Westcotts, we often get involved with fundraising events across the county. Our team recently got to enjoy a summer of exciting fundraising events from bingo nights to golf days and sponsored walks. This is a chance for employees to get out of the office and do something good too.

Employee retention and engagement

Employee retention and engagement requires a multi-faceted approach with a focus on communication, effective leadership and understanding the team. In prioritising these areas, you can build a workplace where employees feel valued, understood, and motivated to contribute their best every day.

If you would like more information or support on the 360-degree feedback, staff surveys, appraisals, or psychometric tests, reach out to Westcotts’ Simon Irvin, Head of Human Resources, by emailing: simon.irvin@westcotts.uk.