Every company needs talented, hard-working employees, and the best way to retain good employees is to keep them happy. That’s why having an employee retention strategy is important. Hiring new employees is a time-consuming process - and one you don’t have want to repeat every time employees move on to “greener pastures.”

Fortunately, happy, satisfied employees rarely leave their jobs – so the key to workplace bliss and prosperity is to keep the employees you worked so hard to hire happy and healthy. Here are some employee retention strategies you can use to keep employees “on your team.”

Encourage communication

Share your company’s vision with employees and make them feel part of the plan. Communicate your enthusiasm for what your company does so that employees see the “bigger picture” and how they fit in to it. Have monthly meetings with employees to get feedback on their job performance. This is a good way to pick up on problems with morale and lack of motivation early on and offer solutions. Sometimes an employee needs a new challenge to reignite their enthusiasm.

One of the most common reasons employees leave a well-paying job are boredom and burnout. Communicating regularly with employees helps address these problems early on. Make sure employees understand how their performance contributes to the company’s overall success. Sometimes employees lose sight of the fact that they’re part of something bigger and what they do counts.

Recognize employee achievements for better employee retention

Recognize employees who are productive and motivated, and make them feel part of the business “family” by recognizing personal achievements. Send a card, handwritten note or other acknowledgement not only for good work performance but for successfully completing a training program or reaching an educational goal. Give a card or small gift on an employee’s birthday or special occasion like the birth of a child. Reward employees as a team for working hard on a campaign by hosting a healthy team lunch.

Keep them healthy

Healthy employees are more productive. Help them stay that way by having a corporate wellness program in place. Sponsor screening programs to check for health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes that can affect employee retention and performance. Bring in experts on nutrition and physical fitness to talk to employees about staying active and making healthier food choices. Give them pedometers to wear. Sponsor fitness challenges and contests with prizes to encourage employees to stay active. A healthy employee is a more productive one. Plus, taking an interest in employee health shows employees you care.

Reduce stress in the workplace

Stress in the workplace lowers productivity, increases absenteeism and is a major cause of poor employee retention. Encourage employees to take breaks or take a short walk outdoors. Keep an open door and encourage employees to discuss stress-related issues so you can help correct them. Bring in experts to talk about how to deal with work-related stress. Employee a little humor. Laughter increases oxygen delivery to tissues, stimulates the release of stress-relieving hormones called endorphins and even boosts immunity against disease. Humor keeps employees healthy and happy – and that’s a good thing when it comes to employee retention.

The bottom line?

Boost employee retention by using these strategies to keep employees happy, healthy and thriving - and create a better working environment for everyone.