Effective Employee Retention Strategies for Struggling Employees

Retaining employees is one of the biggest challenges managers face. According to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), every month in the US 3 to 4.5 employees quit their jobs. 

A lot of things can influence employee retention rate, such as: pay disputes, career progression opportunities, training availability, mental health struggles, and company culture. Struggling employees are twice as likely to quit, leading to people and businesses suffering as a result. 

So, how can you retain your employees, especially those who are struggling? In this article, we share the best strategies for retaining struggling employees. We hope it helps you keep your best people and make positive changes within your business. 

Why It’s Important to Retain Your Employees 

With so many people searching for work, you might be wondering why it’s so important to retain your employees. After all, if one person leaves you can just hire someone else. Can’t you? 

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as that. The impact of a high employee turnover rate extends beyond the annoyance of workflow disruptions. It is expensive to hire new talent – not to mention to cover the costs involved in advertising, interviewing, and onboarding new employees. 

What’s more, when an employee quits your company their team has to take on the extra work, leading to burnout, overwhelm, and stress. Ultimately, overworked employees are less likely to perform well at work and this can affect your entire company. 

So, employees who quit don’t just impact your bottom line, they also impact the culture of your workplace. As a result, prioritising employee retention is incredibly important. Let’s take a look at the best employee retention strategies you can employ to support your struggling employees and keep them committed to your company for longer. 

1. Invest in Employee Development 

Many employees struggle at work because they feel neglected and like their career has hit a dead end. According to LinkedIn, 94% of employees would stay with a company longer if it invested in their career development. With so much industry progression and so many technological changes, employees know that if they want to remain competitive they need to stay up-to-date on the latest training and technologies. 

If you want to retain some of your best talent and ensure your employees don’t get bored while working for your company, you should invest in development opportunities. Offering employee development opportunities helps increase engagement, boost motivation and productivity, and attract top talent.  

Whether you choose to provide e-learning opportunities, mentorship programmes, or the sponsorship of further education, investing in employee development is one of the best ways to support struggling employees. 

2. Provide Mental Health Support 

Nearly 1 in 5 American adults live with a mental illness. This means that there could be numerous employees working for you who are struggling with their mental health. If your employees are struggling and are not receiving the support they need, they are more likely to quit. So, providing the right support is imperative. 

According to LuxuryRehabs.com, “When an unsupportive culture is combined with an above-average workload, you may struggle to maintain meaningful relationships. If you don’t have time to socialize outside of work, you’ll depend on your colleagues for emotional connectivity. This pattern is unsustainable at best, and can be extremely harmful.”  

Providing mental health in the form of mentorship, paid-for counselling sessions, and time off for treatment can make all the difference to your employees’ lives. You should also provide regular one-to-one meetings where you can give employees space to share and connect. Prioritising mental health support in your workplace will make a huge difference to your staff retention rates and overall company culture.

3. Celebrate the Successes 

In the busy day-to-day of running a business, it can be easy to overlook the successes of your employees. Doing so, however, can make people feel invisible in the workplace and like their hard work is all for nothing. Recognising good work and celebrating successes is one of the best ways to boost struggling employees and let them feel seen. 

According to Mind Tools, “Celebrating achievement is an important part of building and maintaining an effective, self-assured team, boosting your own confidence, and making your organization a great place to work.” You can choose to celebrate employee successes publically through company-wide announcements or award ceremonies, or more privately through financial gifts or kudos. 

Taking the time to recognise and celebrate the hard work of your employees is one of the best ways to retain workers for longer. If you celebrate employees’ achievements, you will cultivate happier and more productive teams. Employees that feel seen and celebrated are more likely to stay committed to your company for longer (and do their best work in that time, too!) 

4. Offer Flexible Working 

Work-life balance is something we all want. Nobody wants to be stuck working 70+ hour weeks, with little to no time spent with friends or family. Since the pandemic proved remote working was possible (and even more productive) for many organisations, employees have been crying out for more flexibility. 

According to Bloomberg, 39% of US workers would consider quitting if their employers weren’t flexible about remote work. We all struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance and with the added complications of child care, family responsibilities, and long commutes, it’s no wonder struggling employees are quitting workplaces in search of more flexible options. 

If you want to retain your employees for the long term, providing the option of remote working is essential. Sure, investing in extra laptops, desks, and chairs for remote workers may feel a little costly at the time, but it’s far less costly than the expense of high employee turnover rates. 

Final Words 

Retaining employees – particularly those who may be struggling – can feel like a challenge you can’t overcome. However, we hope the tips and strategies in this article have provided some effective strategies that help you provide much needed support for struggling employees that lets you retain them for longer.