Attracting, motivating and retaining entry-level workers can present a challenge to businesses of all sizes. The wide age range of such workers, which may include inexperienced beginners in their late teens to older workers with extensive job experience, complicates the matter. What motivates the workers varies according to their different needs and perceptions. Youthful workers, for example, may view the job as only a first step in their work life. Benefits, such as insurance, may not seem as important to them as to the older worker with a family.
Turnover is costly for all businesses, large or small. For a worker you are paying $24,000 a year, it will cost you an additional thousand or so dollars to replace them. However, the small business owner may feel the impact more immediately and to a higher degree. While there may not be a magic formula for attracting and keeping entry-level workers, here are some tips to consider: Avoid the mindset that “it’s only an entry-level job” when advertising and hiring. Pay the highest wages that you can afford. Recognize and reward entry-level workers for their accomplishments. Compliment employees according to the level of their skills. Offer cash rewards on an on-going basis. Award “personal days” for special achievements. Offer a choice of rewards. Be flexible. Consider a combination of sick-vacation-personal days. Offer financial assistance for education as an incentive for entry-level workers to grow within the company. Have meals brought in occasionally. Listen to employees, then respond. Take time to know your employees as individuals. |
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Greg Smith is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and business performance consultant. He has written numerous books and has been featured on television programs such as Bloomberg News, PBS television, and in publications including Business Week, Kiplingers, President and CEO, and the Christian Science Monitor. He is the President and “Captain of the Ship” of a management-consulting firm, Chart Your Course International, located in Atlanta, Georgia. Phone him at 770-860-9464. More articles available: http://www.chartcourse.com |