Business Blog BY PAUL REID, managing direct
or of Sigma Seven
How to build and retain a great team
A s
your business grows, you will become
more
dependent on your team for continued success. That’s why it makes sense not just to hire the right people, but also to make sure that you keep them.
When people leave, you lose their valuable knowledge and expertise and you also have to spend time and energy on recruiting their replacements – time that could have been applied to business goals. The performance of your business can also be affected by staff turnover.
My mapping technology company, Sigma Seven, has grown to employ 24 people in the space of 12 years. Very few employees have left and one even contacted us to ask if he could return, after only a short while in his new job. Our high staff retention rate is due to our focus on building a great team.
While you have to expect that some people will inevitably choose to leave at some point, any time spent on creating a strong and happy workforce is time well spent.
Every company, will, of course, find its own way of attracting and retaining a solid team as the business grows. But here are some of my tips, that have stood Sigma Seven in good stead so far.
7 Top Tips
1. View your team as a valuable asset, not as a cost. Invest in their development and training, help them learn new skills and provide them with opportunities to achieve their career goals. This adds value to your business, as well as to their working lives and careers.
2. Create a positive culture within
your organisation.
This means different things to different companies, but for us, it’s about people looking forward to coming to work. We all spend a lot of time at work, so make it enjoyable.
3. Sigma Seven conducts regular, confidential employee satisfaction questionnaires, we take note of comments and we act on them. You can’t always give employees everything they want, but showing that you are listening and doing everything you can goes a long way.
4. Make sure that team members fully
understand
and commit to the company’s values. Some of ours include excellent customer service (we have never lost a client), high levels of expertise and innovative, creative thinking.
42 entrepreneurcountry
5. Everyone has something to contribute to the business. Give everyone a say, hear their views and take them on board, wherever possible. Make sure people know that their individual input is recognised and valued.
6. Treat people the way you would like to be treated. Think back to when you were an employee – what qualities did you appreciate in your manager?
7. Encourage your team to have a good work-life balance. Although I work long hours, I start work early, so that I get the time to go for a run in the evening. This refreshes me and helps me make decisions more effectively, as a result. Also, having just become a father for the first time, my family life is very important to me and I also want to make time for friends and hobbies. Understanding that your team has the same needs and supporting them, for instance by giving the chance to work from home, or flexibly, gives people the chance to do their best – which is what we all want.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54