5 Ways to Meet Your Employees’ Needs

While we help companies to meet their staffing needs, we also hear a lot from companies about how they want to retain the great employees we help them find. Retention can sometimes be trickier than recruitment. Ultimately, retention is about meeting employees’ needs. The better you can meet an employee’s needs, the more likely you are to retain that employee.

Here are the most important needs you need to meet for your employees, ranked from most necessary to most fulfilling.

Basic needs

The purpose of employment is receiving money. People like to talk about all the other rewards they gain from their careers (more on that below), but at the end of the day everyone wants a paycheck. They rely on that paycheck for shelter, food, clothing and other necessities.

How can you better meet your employees’ basic needs? Reevaluate the pay scale. Consider whether what you’re paying could reasonably support an individual – or even better, a family – living in your area. Regularly examine your benefits package and who receives it to see if you can better support their health care. Healthy, well-fed employees with secure housing will perform much better for your business and your community.

Safety needs

While many jobs pay more for riskier jobs, employees work better when they can trust that their employer’s top priority is worker safety. There are many federal, state and local conditions that employers must obey, but workplaces should create a culture that puts safety ahead of profit.

Safety can also be psychological. Employees should feel safe to voice their feedback and needs without repercussions. No employee should not feel that they are at risk of harassment because of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, disability status or any other reason.

Social needs

When you ask your employees what their favorite part of working for your company is, what’s the answer? Hopefully, they say that they love their coworkers. Social networks are hugely important in improving job satisfaction. A positive work environment creates a feeling of belonging and trust that goes beyond helping employees do their daily work; it creates a positive feeling about their employer.

Employers should encourage employees to form positive relationships not just with each other, but also with clients, vendors, and management. Team building activities help employees blow off steam and bond with each other in different ways. Any negative interactions should be handled swiftly and directly to show employees that you encourage a positive culture.

Recognition needs

Recognizing employees for their hard work is a strong motivator. People like knowing that their hard work is noticed and appreciated. A regular award or campaign to highlight your best workers shows everyone that you value employee contributions. Titles, status, and raises are an even better way to show employees that you are invested in keeping their talent at your company.

Development needs

Employees who value professional development are the best kind to have at your company. These people will grow into your middle and upper management. It’s more cost-effective to train your employees from the ground-up rather than outside hiring. It can be challenging to meet this need if you aren’t well-suited for growth, but if you can you’ll be pleased with the results.

Curious about more ways you can recruit and retain the best talent? Talk to Award Staffing. We’re here to help you with all of your staffing needs.