Employee loyalty: Why count on stability and security ?

The question of employee loyalty, or put more professionally, ‘talent retention’, is a challenge of today and tomorrow for you law firms, notary’s offices, or even legal departments of businesses. Perhaps you don’t know it, but the terms ‘stable’ and ‘secure’ can play an essential role in the development and the maintenance of an attractive work culture, which is necessary in order to achieve loyalty of your teams. Open your eyes wide, and we’ll tell you more about it.

At TeamRH, Parisian recruitment agency, we know the importance for a business to work on employee loyalty. We receive dozens of candidates a week, currently in a job but looking very actively for a new adventure, for new challenges. We are always shocked to discover that their motivation very often has nothing to do with their level of remuneration. Their desire to go and look elsewhere is rarely linked to money. Only sometimes will pay be one of the leading motives.

At the top of the list, amongst the reasons given by candidates, is the lack of stability of the team or the business. In this sense, the candidate feels that they are in an ejection seat, or they are unsure as to whether they’ll see their colleagues the next day, as departures and new arrivals are systematic. This turnover undeniably creates instability for the employee. It is not difficult to imagine how feeling insecure and constantly unstable can be mentally testing and distressing for the members of the team. And inevitably alter the quality of their work.

Inspiring, motivating and engaging them more will become complicated, if not impossible and this will impact negatively on employee loyalty. It is therefore crucial for a business that wishes to retain and involve its teams to create a healthy, stable and secure environment, in which the employee is going to invest themselves and commit to in the medium to long term. Therefore, here are a few steps that you shouldn’t ignore.

Clearly communicate the employee’s role and task

The employer must be able to clearly communicate the role and the objectives that they intend to give to the employee. This communication is essential for the employee, who will know what the company expects of them. This will in turn strengthen their sense of security and will prevent them from wondering if they are fulfilling their role correctly or if, quite the opposite, they are being critiqued. Adopting a clear method of communication regarding the role of the employee can be done through a clear and in-depth description of the work to be done, as well as through reasonable and measurable objectives. This can be further strengthened by clearly communicating the task, the goal and the values of the organisation, so that each person can see what success looks like and recognise the role that they can play to achieve it. Employee loyalty is strengthened.

Encourage the sharing of ideas within the team

Practising open communication for a company is a token of employees’ greater involvement. The business must be able to encourage its staff to share and make their opinions known by stating clearly that all suggestions are appreciated and encouraged, and that people will neither be judged, nor ignored. This type of contribution will help to create a sense of security and employee loyalty within your structure.

Show that confidence in the business is justified

Set an example for the business…

It has been proven that the employee’s sense of stability and security is mainly based on the confidence that they have towards their leaders and/or managers. Simon Sinek confirms this in his TED Talk video on ‘Why good leaders make people feel safe’. Directors cannot simply tell employees to trust them and expect them to do so without proving that this trust is real and justified. The trust must be earned through actions such as transparent, open and regular communication, with leaders being accessible and attentive to their teams. In other words, the leader will have to show obvious consideration for the well-being of their staff.

…By equally promoting authentic behaviour of staff members

If employees fear being criticised or judged because they are themselves, their efforts will be more focused on trying to integrate, rather than their full involvement in their work. Also, a lack of psychological security will lead to a decrease in the employee’s professional efficiency. Equally highlighted by the recent Google study on the ‘Aristotle Project’, psychological security has effectively been identified as one of the key elements in building a highly performing team, therefore contributing to employee loyalty. It has also been demonstrated that teams obtained the best results if members didn’t put on a ‘professional front’ and where everyone thought they could act naturally towards each other. The employer’s feeling of security within the company is therefore strengthened.

If you and your business feel the need to be assisted in building employee loyalty, our recruitment agency TeamRH has developed just as good of an expertise in recruitment, as in advice given to our clients in retaining their talent, throughout these years. Have confidence in us, entrust us with the task of retaining your teams through collective coaching sessions within the company.

About TeamRH :

TeamRH, a recruitment firm in Paris, is a leading player in the legal and financial sector. We work with a national and international clientele, helping them to strive for a top performance. Our consultants benefit from an extensive knowledge of the market and of legal professions in order to better understand their task. We also offer Career & Life Coaching sessions (stress, demotivation, professional strategies to handle burn out).

TeamRH
5 rue de Hanovre
75002 PARIS
Tel : 01 42 33 26 12
E-mail : jobs[@]teamrh.com