4 tips for new leaders struggling with retention

In today’s job market, retaining great employees is vitally important for businesses that want to operate at a competitive level. Wages and benefits are often highlighted as the most important pieces of the retention puzzle, but they are not the only pieces. At Axios HR, we believe that the development of excellent supervisors is often an overlooked component when attempting to reduce employee turnover. 

In the meantime, here are 4 tips for new and developing supervisors that can improve your organization’s employee experience and reduce turnover.

New supervisors often assume their leadership and responsibility only consists of answering questions and solving problems. Of course, those things will certainly come with the job. But, sometimes, new supervisors forget that it is equally important to ask questions.

Maintaining a curiosity about the work the team is doing, and continuing to find ways to support them without getting in the way are key aspects of creating a productive and positive work environment. Exemplifying a learning attitude can empower the team to continue to find better ways to operate within their departments and responsibilities.

For new leaders, there is going to be a lot of unknowns. As responsibilities, organizational structures, and procedures change, developing supervisors will run into a lot of questions and problems that they will not know how to answer. 

In these situations, it’s important to get comfortable saying “I don’t know.”

Instead of making up a solution on the fly in order to not feel unprepared, respond to a question or problem by letting your team know that you aren’t sure, but that you will do everything you can to find out.

Nobody expects new supervisors (or even seasoned supervisors) to know everything! Maintain a growth mindset, take the initiative to learn, and then share that knowledge with the team.

Getting to know and understand your team can transform the way you work together. 

Understanding the life rhythms, personal goals, and priorities of your employees opens doors of communication and trust that can prevent a lot of issues down the road.

Creating a workplace where the entire team is trying to help everyone achieve their personal and professional goals is incredibly important. 

Understanding how to recognize and help different people with drastically different personalities and life experiences will make your team feel valued and appreciated, and create a more amicable environment for everyone.

Unless you’re the owner of a company, everyone reports to someone else. Sometimes, that person can be a great person for a new supervisor to learn from. However, it’s also important to have other people outside the scope of your organization that you can go to for advice.

A mentor outside our organization that you feel comfortable bouncing questions off of will help you grow, learn, and gain perspective about both the successes and stresses you may be feeling as a supervisor.

Axios HR is a team of HR professionals who can assist with leadership training and development. Get in touch with our team today to find out how we can help!