Manchester is a hub for start-ups – especially in the tech world as reported by The Guardian newspaper. Us Mancunians are also very determined when we do decide to launch a company, we have a survival rate of 35.9% with businesses opening at five times the rate of a city like Cambridge.
If you have ever worked at a new company or set one up then you will be looking to achieve a few key things, business growth, staff retention and high turnover. With a recent report finding that salary and benefits, career progression and seeking new challenges are ranked as the top three reasons why people choose to leave their jobs a lot of employers will be wondering how they can retain staff as we all know how difficult it can be to find good talent, so once you have it, you want to keep it.
Here we have put together our top tips as to how you can keep your staff happy in 2018. From staff parties to providing simple gestures like fresh fruit in the office once a week, it doesn’t need to cost the earth to keep your employees happy and it’s the little things which count.
It’s the little things that matter
So, you’ve set up a new business and you don’t have lots of spare income to spoil your staff. Why not put a tiny bit of budget aside, as little as £10 a week to treat your staff? This nominal amount could buy them ice lollies on a hot day or a couple of bags of Haribo on a wet and windy Monday when everyone is craving a sugar rush. It is this kind of thinking which will make your staff feel valued and doesn’t need to cost the business a fortune and the chances are your workforce is small if you’re new, so a little bit of budget can go a long way.
Give them a voice
Company meetings are a great way to update your workforce on how the company is doing, and lots of people who have jobs in Manchester will be used to a weekly or monthly format for these. Instead of yourself or your business partner speaking to the team with a pre-set agenda, make sure you open the floor to questions and contributions. By doing this your staff will feel appreciated, like they are part of the bigger business model and it will provide them with a forum in which to be heard outside of their usual objective reviews and personal progression sessions.
Be flexible
Allowing your employees flexible working hours and the opportunity to work from home are ways in which you can show how much you trust them and empowers them to work harder. One of the reasons people join a start up is so that there aren’t layers of red tape and approval systems to go through so forward-thinking companies should make it as easy as possible for staff to work hard, whether this is at home or in the office.
Be happy
Happy business leaders make for happy employees. Make sure you are publicly acknowledging your team’s accomplishments, providing a forum for this to happen and endorsing hard work to encourage others to feel motivated and inspired. Simple actions such as praising a team member on email or face to face in an open plan office or sharing an interesting article which points towards career progression can help inspire a team without having any cost to the business.
