Reduce Young Employee Turnover Through Unique Incentives

Young Employee Turnover

Employee turnover is one of the biggest challenges faced by small businesses today. It can be an unnecessary cost and business owners try their best to eliminate these expenses by reducing turnover of younger employees on their schedules. However, month after month and year after year, most small businesses still see turnover from younger employees, many being teenagers, and have no answer on how to turn this expensive trend around. It’s no doubt that younger employees are taking on more responsibility and working harder than ever, whether to fulfill a need at home or for their own personal gain. As a manager, you need to avoid burnout of these same employees all while maintaining your current level of workplace productivity.

At ScheduleBase, we say most teenage employees don’t need a high-priced award or fancy gift to feel appreciated and remain an employee of your business. We think there are ways to increase your chances of keeping younger employees by showing your appreciation to younger employees through fun methods of creativity.

Local Business Partnerships

Employees of a younger generation all have their own “favorite” food or entertainment places outside of work. Keep your employees motivated by finding where these places are at in your city and partner with them. Once you’ve established contact with potential partners, pitch a reciprocal referral partnership and invite these businesses into your workplace to setup a vendor table for a day and pass out freebies to your employees and customers.

This is a great deal for you because, as a manager, you not only introduce your employees to a fresh, new concept with free handouts and incentives, but you also do your customers a favor by introducing them to another trusted local business who will treat them right as well.

Fun Environment

It’s crucial today to give younger employees as much control over their jobs as possible by empowering them to make job-related decisions, allowing flexibility and by giving them the authority to make improvements on how their job is done. To make sure you’re motivating your employees to stay on track, try offering after hour socials to have fun and mingle (use the local business partnership method here too). If this doesn’t work for you, entice your younger employees to contribute to a monthly “change donation” where one lucky winner is picked on the last day of the month to take home the cash. Promoting team involvement and participation will produce excellent results within your workplace and reduce employee turnover.

Recognition

Whether you believe this or not, many young employees go to sleep at night dreaming about the day their managers or bosses will finally recognize their hard work and contributions with a simple pat on the back or public thanks. Small business managers can easily overlook how hard their teenage employees work and neglect to show their gratitude. To be sure you do not become one of these managers, try implementing one of the following creative recognition strategies:

• Let an employee get rid of their least favorite daily task for a day
• Designate a VIP parking spot for a week
• Write a personal thank you note and surprise him/her with it
• Name the break room or lounge after an employee for a month
• Offer a free vacation day
• Write a note to a young employee’s family showing your appreciation
• Stock the break room with a favorite food or snack of the employee
• Create a “day pass” that can be turned in to take any day off, no questions asked
• Create a relaxation room, where the employee (and other people you are rewarding) can go during the day, to play a video game when on break

Video Game Breaks

As listed above, a video game break happens to be very popular at many casual businesses. As a manager, you may have mixed feelings about encouraging your young employee to spend any more time playing video games, but this activity can help reduce stress and anxiety and put your young employee in a better mood to finish each day. If you have flexibility in your budget, a game room is a must to help increase employee morale. Not only can a game room at work treat your younger employees looking for true R&R on their break, but it can also turn into a great recruiting tool for potential new hires at your workplace.

At ScheduleBase, we encourage you to give serious consideration to including work-play integration as part of your small business strategy to help reduce workplace stress and ideally reduce employee turnover. Work-play is a set of creative workplace practices, policies and activities along with a philosophy that actively supports efforts to help employees achieve success. Many managers are finding that not only does a creative outlook on the way they manage their day-to-day business help boost employee morale and solidarity, but it’s also helping to attract a younger workforce and increase productivity throughout the entire operation.

About ScheduleBase

ScheduleBase is online employee scheduling software from Atlas Business Solutions, the leader in providing employee scheduling software. In little to no time, businesses can schedule employees online and communicate work schedules by email, text message and mobile device. Put your scheduling online and save time and money, while offering your employees easier access to their schedules and an effective communication tool for you and them.