Steps every business should take to retain their best performing staff

Directors at Novo Executive Search and Selection share that this is one of the busiest times of the year for people unhappy in their current workplace, with company culture being one of the most popular reasons given for seeking a change.

Typically, executives and employees generally get itchy feet over the New Year, but it’s from the start of autumn that often sees a spike in top performing executives reaching out to executive recruiters for a new role.

What was once an HR buzzword, company culture has become increasing important over the last few years and is now a critical aspect of business success. So much so that many of us now prioritise culture over salary when it comes to job satisfaction – 56% in fact claim culture is more important than the size of executive package. There’s more…

Nearly three-quarters of adults would not apply to a company unless its values aligned with their own personal values and 65% of employees say their company’s culture is one of the main reasons for staying in their job (Glassdoor’s Mission & Culture Survey 2019).

The experts at Novoexec.com have worked together to show the six components every business consider to build a good workplace culture for their staff. Doing so will not help attract the best employees but keep them, too.

1. Mission and values – Getting the mission of your company right is critically important. You want your company vision to resonate with the personal goals of individual executives.
2. Freedom and flexibility – Freedom in the workplace may not sound like a recipe for success but allowing a certain amount of creative freedom and flexible working can generate a happy atmosphere, even in a corporate environment.
3. Health and wellness – We live in a world that is becoming more and more aware of the correlation between physical health and mental wellness. This transfers into the workplace. If people are physically fit and healthy, they will be more mentally alert and produce better results. 
4. Collaborative working – To create a collaborative culture, there needs to be a focus on communication. This doesn’t necessarily mean more meetings. It means creating an atmosphere in which co-workers feel like they can collaborate without permission. Teams can be flexible and fluid under this type of company culture. This can be liberating and create a tide of innovation.
5. Transparency – A level of mutual trust is needed for business to thrive. Trust is built through honest and open relationships. Therefore, this part of the company culture ties in with the collaborative approach mentioned above. But it places an emphasis on transparency and honesty.
6. Empowerment – Feeling empowered, is by its very nature, powerful. The results you get from a team of empowered employees far exceed those of a team that feel oppressed or lack motivation.

Dale Perrett, founding director of Novo, comments:

“The importance of company culture is not to be underestimated. At Novo we understand the difference outstanding leaders can make to a company and invariably, culture is the most important factor in attracting and retaining exceptional executives.

“The steps and checklist from Novo are intended to help you as a business owner, leader or executive, build a thriving and attractive culture that attracts and retains the best performing employees”