Four Ways to Improve Employee Retention Shared During NATSO Connect

Retaining top employees not only improves customer service and overall morale, it can save money, too. It costs about $4,000 every time an employee walks out the door, with employers having to pay to recruit new hires, fill the spot and train new employees. “If you keep your employee, you keep your money,” said Heather Meade, a consultant with Ernst & Young and a leader of NATSO’s HR Share Group. Meade and Ernst & Young’s Tara Bradshaw spoke during NATSO Connect 2018 and shared several concrete ideas for retaining top talent.
More
 

NATSO-ConnectBlogCover.jpg

For two and a half days, the industry gathers to find knowledge, solutions and connections at NATSO Connect. Just like NATSO Connect, the NATSO Connect Magazine is your source for improving your travel plaza business operations. 

Four Ways to Improve Employee Retention Shared During NATSO Connect

Retaining top employees not only improves customer service and overall morale, it can save money, too. It costs about $4,000 every time an employee walks out the door, with employers having to pay to recruit new hires, fill the spot and train new employees.

“If you keep your employee, you keep your money,” said Heather Meade, a consultant with Ernst & Young and a leader of NATSO’s HR Share Group. Meade and Ernst & Young’s Tara Bradshaw spoke during NATSO Connect 2018 and shared several concrete ideas for retaining top talent. 

Meade told attendees 51 percent of employees said they are searching for new jobs, according to a Gallup poll, and employees told Gallup they are likely to leave for career growth or better pay or benefits or due to a specific manager or management, the company’s culture or the job fit. 

However, people want to stay in their jobs and have the ability to do what they do best, Meade said. Today’s employees are looking for greater work-life balance, more job security, an increase in income, the opportunity to work for a great brand.

HRatNATSOconnect.png 

Here are four strategies to help truckstop and travel plaza operators retain their workers.

Provide Flexibility: Flexibility has become increasingly important for employees, particularly as new employment opportunities, such as driving for Uber, can allow employees to set their own hours around their needs. “This is very powerful and attractive to them. To be able to keep your workforce, you have to be able to offer them the same work-life balance they said they were looking for,” Meade said. 

That could mean operators could benefit from modifying hours to make jobs more appealing to the workers they’re trying to recruit. For example, a working mom may want to work a 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift while a student wants to work a 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift. “You may have to redesign your actual job descriptions,” Meade said. “Do you need to change a full-time job into two part time jobs?”

Develop a Culture: Bradshaw said polling shows people want a great place to work. “They want places that instill trust, respect and camaraderie,” she said.

Offer Even Small Pay Raises: Studies show Millennials are interested in quick bumps in pay.
“Millennials want to be there six to eight months and get a promotion,” Bradsahw said. “Could you withhold 25 cents from their pay and tell them you’ll give them a raise in six months?”

Don’t Skimp on Recognition: Showing appreciation for workers helps build and improve the culture and the satisfaction of your employees, Bradshaw said. “A thank you can make the biggest difference to your bottom line,” she explained, adding that employers can create opportunities for thanks. “Some of these thank you’s can be really inexpensive.” 

Bradshaw encouraged operators to look at recognition as an investment. “Rewarding strong performances for going above and beyond reduces turnover. That is less money you have to spend in finding, hiring and training a new employee,” she said, adding that compliments are always free.

Bradshaw and Meade will be faciliating the H.R. Sharegroup during NATSO Connct 2019 in Orlando on February 11. NATSO's H.R. Sharegroup involves both tax and H.R. policy and political updates regarding how the latest developments in Washington, D.C. will affect day-to-day business operations, as well as an opportunity to network and engage with other professionals. The Sharegroup is open to any NATSO member that works on H.R. issues. Learn more about NATSO's H.R. Sharegroup here.

/// NATSO Connect 2019 will be held February 10 - 13 in Orlando, Florida. Register and learn more about NATSO Connect here

Photo credit: Brittany Palmer/NATSO

Subscribe to Updates

NATSO provides a breadth of information created to strengthen travel plazas’ ability to meet the needs of the travelling public in an age of disruption. This includes knowledge filled blog posts, articles and publications. If you would like to receive a digest of blog post and articles directly in your inbox, please provide your name, email and the frequency of the updates you want to receive the email digest.