Turnover can be quite costly for businesses. The time and money invested in finding qualified candidates, going through the interview process, and managing their onboarding and training can be significant. Also, when you experience high turnover, that cost multiplies. Reducing turnover can help alleviate some of the strain. So, one way to reduce turnover is by building trust with your employees through better understanding and communication.
“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” — Tony Robbins
Communication is the cornerstone to building trust. As a result, trust breeds loyalty and respect. When an employee feels trust, loyalty, and respect, he or she is more likely to remain with the company, thereby reducing turnover.
Understanding Your Employees’ Personalities
The concept of personality types and how those personalities work and play together is not new. There are several personality assessments from Myers-Briggs to Enneagram to Color Code to DiSC and many others. Each assessment is designed with the essentially the same goal in mind: Better understanding of yourself and others.
Personality assessments help you better understand:
- What motivates or discourages you
- How you handle stressful situations
- What you need from others on a personal and professional level
- How you can best interact with various personalities
So, in the workplace, understanding the various personality types and how they interact with each other is very important. Due to this knowledge you to not only create a healthy work environment where your employees can (and will) thrive, but also build trust and a genuine connection with your team.
Leveraging Onboarding to Reduce Turnover
Onboarding is the perfect time to establish a strong communication channel with your new employees. This is a chance to ask questions and listen carefully and thoughtfully. Also, it is a chance to start to form a working relationship. By investing your time in your employees, you demonstrate that they are heard, valued, and understood/accepted within the company.
Onboarding is just paperwork, you say? On the contrary, onboarding is a series of events that acclimate your new employees to the company. Paperwork is only one component of onboarding; albeit an important component. Other activities may include setting up workstations and network or badge access, connecting new employees with a mentor or buddy, and establishing expectations for the company and role. At each stage of the onboarding process (and beyond), you have an opportunity to demonstrate clear communication that takes into account your employees’ personality type. Consequently, this is a key step in building trust and loyalty among your team.
“When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective.” — Stephen R. Covey