We're in the last month of 2024, and now is the time to take a very careful look at your company's employees, with the goal of providing individualized and—most importantly, fair—feedback to each of them, as well as understanding how people's work is impacting the organization as a whole, whether that impact is positive or even negative.
The truth is that the end of the year often brings a feeling of exhaustion and a desire for it to be over. However, as a manager, you need to ensure that your team members don't feel discouraged—quite the opposite. This is a time when employees need to be satisfied with their jobs, which will be the result of the hard work they've put in over the months.
And why am I saying this? People may start thinking about ending cycles in December, so they can begin a new phase next year, with the guaranteed bonus in mind. And this includes resigning from their current jobs to accept new opportunities that are more interesting or that have caught their attention, such as more attractive roles or a higher and better salary.
The fact is, to reap, you have to sow. In these cases, it's crucial that the leader has worked over the months to captivate the team, making them unwilling to leave, especially during a festive and closing time, when employees at most companies tend to celebrate the year's achievements and set goals to achieve in the future.
For this reason, it's crucial to understand your team members' pain points so that you can eventually address them and retain talent, which certainly makes a difference in the company's overall performance. No one is irreplaceable, but it's good to know we can count on competent people who are dedicated to delivering the best performance every day.
A premise of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) is precisely linked to the team's importance in achieving results, and the tool can help leaders understand what needs to be done to provide the conditions for employees to want to stay and be satisfied. This ranges from a healthy work environment to increased benefits, for example.
A high salary won't always keep someone in a job, as other factors influence the decision to stay or leave. Survey by the consultancy GPTW – Great Place to Work – listed the 5 factors that motivate employees to stay in companies, and salary is not the first: 1st Opportunity for growth; 2nd Quality of life; 3rd Compensation and benefits; 4th Alignment of values; 5th Stability.
Given this scenario, it's essential for managers to understand that they need to build a process every day that will ensure team members want to stay, not for lack of alternatives, but because they truly want to be there. This is the key to retaining talent while also having employees who are truly happy in their positions.
When OKRs fully leverage their potential, the leader engages the team in setting priorities and empowers them to work. Believe me, these two points are crucial for greater employee engagement, which will lead to better results.
Don't change a winning team
