Helpful Tips To Improve Blue-Collar Employee Retention
Introduction
Blue-collar workers are scarce across industries. In addition, various industries such as agriculture, construction, mining, manufacturing, and health care, are now facing a shortage of blue-collar workers. The low blue-collar employee retention is due to prevailing economic and educational trends.
Graduates are increasingly pursuing fields that lead them to white-collar jobs. Moreover,
blue-collar jobs are perceived as hard and dirty. If you wish to increase blue-collar employee retention and reduce turnover, follow these five simple tips.
Blue Collar Employee Retention Tips
Blue Collar Employee Retention Tip 1: Pay Competitive Salaries
Companies need to provide competitive salaries to blue-collar workers. Compensation and benefits directly impact employee retention. When companies pay well, workers feel valued. In addition, the amount of money that workers are paid per week/month directly affects job satisfaction. A big reason to work in the first place is the paycheck. If the current employer doesn’t pay well but the competitor does, then employees are likely to seek employment with the competitor.
Blue Collar Employee Retention Tip 2: Provide Perks And Non-Monetary Benefits
Sometimes, companies can’t offer higher financial rewards. Sometimes, workers are looking for more than just money. In these cases, companies should provide workers with perks and non-monetary benefits. These are easy to implement, track, and maintain. Also, the company budget is kept in line. Examples of non-monetary benefits are one-on-one meetings, extra leaves, flexible working hours, free lunches, and demonstrating trust in employees.
Blue Collar Employee Retention Tip 3: Show Employees Recognition For Their Achievements
Blue-collar jobs are tough as these jobs are physically and emotionally taxing. At the end of the day, employees are looking for validation from employers. When employers demonstrate their gratitude, workers feel their achievements are recognised. They are then less likely to leave the job. Employee recognition programs are superb ways for employers to reward employees. Employees could receive a written note of thanks or be part of an awards ceremony. The “Employee of the Month” award is one such way to recognise the achievements of employees.
Blue Collar Employee Retention Tip 4: Make The Job Safer
Blue-collar jobs are often done in harsh work conditions. Think of a steel factory and the furnace within it. Oil workers or workers in skyscrapers face difficult conditions that make such jobs less desirable. When companies work towards creating safer work conditions, employees are thankful for their effort and believe that their employer cares. So, invest in high-quality safety equipment and safety-training drills. You will find that employees will thank you with their hearts. They are less likely to leave jobs where the employer cares for their lives.
Blue Collar Employee Retention Tip 5: Add Employees To The Decision-Making Process
Blue-collar workers have direct on-field experience. This means they have direct insight into the workings of the business. They may have much to contribute in terms of ideas. These ideas are valuable in the decision-making process. Sometimes, employee ideas directly impact the bottom line. When employees are included in decision-making, they feel valued when listened to and believe themselves to be stakeholders. They feel increased responsibility for the firm’s success and are likely to stay longer with the firm.
Conclusion
Blue-collar employees are hard to come by. This makes retaining them even more important. By a judicious application of human resource reward principles, you can ensure a high rate of employee retention. The key ingredient is to make employees feel valued and rewarded for their work. With a sound HR policy in place that is aimed at blue-collar employee retention, employers can relax and focus on other areas of business interest, sure in the knowledge that your blue-collar workers are here to stay.
