Sticky means “I’m staying”, not, “I’m leaving, or thinking about new opportunities”. Providing certainty right now is critical to engagement, which was globally challenged before COVID 19. It’s all about keeping your best people doing the things they are best at doing as often as possible.
1 – Give Managers Information to Act On
The simplest thing to do improve stickiness is to arm the manager with training and a simple road map to managing everyone. Managing people is complex, so why not reduce the complexity into actionable insights?
2 – From Square to Round Pegs / Round Holes
Do you align people with their natural strengths and away from areas they struggle in? It’s much easier to modify a work environment than trying to change someone’s personality. Most don’t appreciate the lost productivity in failing to address this at a fundamental level. Do whatever you can to modify the environment, so that each employee finds it more and more compatible.
3 – Foster Close Connections
Some organizations discourage friendships, viewing it as unproductive. Humans need connection to some degree and leaving a close relationship is difficult, so what are you doing to foster friendships between colleagues? If the answer is “not a lot”, then get on it. One friendship may be the only reason some of your staff are not job hunting right now.
4 – Increase Autonomy for Some
For some people autonomy is a very big deal. Do your managers really know which of your people really struggles without autonomy? Some people will not thank you for more autonomy, so one size doesn’t fit all, but working out ways you can give them some.
5 – Put an end to boredom
Are you boring some of your staff? Some people, like me, are easily bored and boredom can be stressful. Knowing this enables you to get creative around keeping it interesting for them. Oh, and if you’re not creative, you need to know who is so they can come up with the anti-boredom strategy.