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It’s Only Common Sense: Five Tips to Retaining Your New Hire Long-term

There are many challenges and opportunities when it comes to making a new hire. In the scenarios I have laid out over the past several weeks, we have detailed the process of searching, recruiting, interviewing, selecting, and negotiating. We’ve also talked about taking a formal new hire through an orientation and training program, which includes assigning them to a mentor. Congratulations, they are now a full-fledged member of your team.

But now comes the greatest challenge of all. How do you retain this new team member for the long haul? How do you keep them learning, growing, and contributing for years to come?

This is what I called the “nurturing” phase. In fact, if you have done things right over the years, your company should already have a caring and nurturing culture that applies to the entire team, not just the new hire. You must have systems that ensure everyone is kept passionately engaged in both their individual roles and with the entire company.

In the end, this is what really matters. We hire people, not robots. When we care about the individual as much as we care about profits, it comes through in how our company is run and how well we succeed. A company that keeps its employees engaged and passionate about the work they do will create a workforce that stays on board for years to come. You create a dedicated and loyal group of employees who care about doing their best, personally and professionally.

But I warn you, it’s not easy. Here are the five things you must do to make sure your employees are engaged and committed for years to come.

1. Show them the “why” of the company. Why is the company in business? If you say it’s to make money, that’s not a good enough reason. In fact, it’s the weakest reason to be in business. Make sure you clearly understand why the company was started and the purpose for continuing. If the employees in the company do not understand what that purpose is, they will fail.
2. Show them the role they play in that purpose and mission. Everyone needs to feel that they matter. Frankly, the only way for your employees to know that they matter is if they understand that what they’re doing helps make the company’s mission a reality.
3. Show them the future. Even better, make them a part of that future. Someone once said that, in the end, wars are not fought for money or personal gain, but instead fought the hardest for pieces of cloth—flags. People fight wars for their nations, their people, and for each other. Watch coverage of the war in Ukraine if you have any doubts. Honestly, the same concept applies to companies. Articulate your vision as either the lead of the company or one who represents it, then help employees see how they can be a part of that vision. We all want to feel part of something special.
4. Show them that you listen for understanding. Everyone wants to be heard. Your employees do their jobs day in, and day out. No one knows it better than them. When they know that you care about that effort, and that you’ll actually seek out their ideas and opinions, you will get an employee who is more fully committed. Even more, if you heed their thoughts and ideas when appropriate, you show how much you value their contributions. That goes a long way toward commitment.
5. Finally, the most important tip of all, as Aretha would say, is R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Your employees must be shown respect from the first day to the last. They must be able to see that respect is part of the company culture. Once that is established, your company will actually create a cocoon of confidence where everyone knows that they matter, that the company has a purpose, and that they are significant contributors to that purpose. This creates a feeling of mutual safety and productivity. We all want to work in an atmosphere where we understand that tremendous, mind-boggling things can be accomplished, no matter who gets the credit.

This is what matters if you want to have a successful company, one where the entire team works together for the good of their customers, their company, and each other.

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.