High turnover rates are often costly for businesses. The hiring process can be lengthy and constantly replacing team members can disrupt workflows. When it comes to taking action, sometimes an out of the box approach is required. So, if you’re looking for unconventional ways to reduce staff turnover, here are a few effective ideas.
Flexible Rewards
Instead of a standard bonus, consider a more flexible approach to rewarding staff members. For instance, you could allow employees to collect points that can be redeemed with a reward of their choice. This makes the reward that little bit more personal, further incentivising hard work and increasing satisfaction when goals are reached.
Mental Health Days
In a workplace there are two standard types of time off: holiday and sick leave. However, some businesses are offering a third, often paid, type of leave known as mental health days or cognitive recovery days. These are days that employees can take no questions asked, and are designed to give overworked, stressed, or burnt out employees a chance to recuperate. Over time, this can help to prevent poor wellbeing in the first place, resulting in a happier and more productive workforce.
You can easily track these personal days using cloud-based payroll software, which will give you clear visibility and help you identify patterns to recognise when an employee may need additional support.
Pet-Inclusivity
For those with pets, particularly high-maintenance animals like dogs, having the option to bring their pet to work with them or take time off to care for their beloved companions can massively reduce stress levels. It can also foster loyalty to your company, as it shows that you value their personal life and are willing to accommodate their needs.
Modified Working Hours
Work-life balance isn’t just a buzzword, it’s crucial for maintaining staff satisfaction and increasing retention rates. Traditional working hours (9-5) don’t work for everyone, whether that’s because of personal commitments like childcare or your workers are simply more productive outside of these typical hours.
While this isn’t possible for every business, offering to modify working hours to suit an employee’s needs can improve stress levels and increase productivity, benefiting both the employee and the business.
Improving Employee Satisfaction Takes Time
Reducing staff turnover rates and creating a better work environment for employees doesn’t happen overnight. Implementing these changes can take time, but by using some or all of these strategies, you can work towards a significant reduction in employee turnover.


