Research reveals Gen X workers are most dissatisfied with their careers (27%) and millennials aren't far behind (23%). So how can companies with restless employees retain potentially good staff whilst also catering to their needs for development and potential change? 

The experts at Instant Offices have given their top tips: 

Be Curious

Everyone is good at the things they love, and finding out what each employee actually enjoys doing is solid base on which to build their skills. This approach ensures their buy-in, assures you don’t waste money up-skilling staff members in the wrong field, and encourages the loyalty of these newly skilled staff members because they feel appreciated and understand the value they bring to your business.

Encourage Mentoring

Sometimes one of the biggest barriers to skills development can be cost implications. In making the effort to find out what skills your employees possess, you can pair them with training mentors (even in informal ways) to ensure skills transfer to those employees that require development. Succession planning relies heavily on this kind of mentoring – don’t hope for your employees to stick around forever, you want them to have drive and ambition, you want them to transfer their skills and move upwards.

Be Open 

It’s vital to listen to employees. If you create an open culture where people can speak freely you’re able to spot gaps when issues arise, and look for training opportunities that will help bridge those gaps. Whether through informal group sessions that bring all the departments together, or by getting to know your employees better. It’s important to always consider the individual and create a place where they can develop their own career. Promoting from within and across departments, filling gaps and creating new positions for employees to develop professionally is more likely to make an employee want to stay and progress their career at your company. 

Embrace Change

Focus on streamlining, improving quality and continuous improvement. Consult with your staff and get their buy-in through suggestions. Everyone learns new things and your business reaps the rewards. Don’t be fearful of employees moving roles, don’t be afraid of staff moving on – cultivate an environment that embraces these changes and takes them in stride, and you’ll develop a staff complement that is keen to learn and take on new responsibilities.

Give Back to Your Employees 

You’ll find that your employees truly benefit from support and development, and ultimately see profits rise as a result. Whether this is through better benefits, flexible working environments or knowing that the company truly appreciated their contribution. 

https://www.instantoffices.com/en/gb