Once this recession is over — and it’s definitely showing signs of recovery — will your top performers jump ship for greener pastures (a strangled use of two clichés, but apt nonetheless)? In fact, the Wall Street Journal reported May 25 that more and more employees are starting to quit. According to the story:

“In February, the number of employees voluntarily quitting surpassed the number being fired or discharged for the first time since October 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

In addition, a few polls conducted by human resources research firms have indicate that up to 60 percent of workers indicated they would leave their current jobs when the market improved.

So what can you do to keep your top performers with you once other companies are hiring again?

Many people “say” they would leave for a larger salary, but if you were to ask them a few months after leaving the real reason for their departure, money ranks far below a lack of job satisfaction.

So to help your employees love coming to work for you, you should dig to find what really brings them job satisfaction. For some it will be a chance of advancement. For others it will be a chance to participate skills training opportunities. Some may want more paid time off. Still others would like to make a lateral move within your company in order to experience new challenges. Others want more variety.

If you’ve had a few years of small or no pay increases, now’s the time to make things right, if your budget allows.

Get your top performers more training. Continuous learning opportunities, especially of the employer-paid or -reimbursed variety, can go a long way to keeping your top performers engaged and happy.

Offer flexible hours, more PTO, the chance to telecommute.

Praise those who deserve it. And praise them again and again. In fact, make a point to find the strengths in each employee and provide compliments whenever those strengths are used. Remember when your teacher put a happy face on one of your papers? Remember how you beamed? Still applies.

Increase employees responsibility and their power. That is, give clear goals and outcomes desired and then get out of your employees’ way. Let them get the job done the way they see fit. Be more concerned about good outcomes than rote process following.

Be very clear about how employees can be promoted. Tell your employees your company’s goals for the coming years and how they can help you reach those goals. Give defined steps employees can make for promotions. And then be sure to promote those who satisfy those guidelines.

People want to be recognized for their good work. If you can help your people feel appreciated and noticed at work, you’ll go a long way to keeping your great workers with you as the economy improves.

Tampa Bay Area companies have been looking to the combined 50 years’ experience of StaffEx’s recruiters to find them excellent temporary administrative, production, IT, engineering, finance, accounting, warehouse and skilled trades workers. We can do the same for you. Contact us today.