In today’s competitive hiring market, employee retention has become an important issue for all employers. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep your prized employees happily on board. AllBusiness.com shares some tips to help improve employee relations and ensure that your lab keeps the best of the best.

1. Compensate fairly. Money isn’t the only reason people stay, but it does play a significant role in job satisfaction. You must offer your employees a competitive salary and honor their service and tenure with raises, bonuses, and other monetary rewards. Fair pay shows that you respect them.
2. Be open to their ideas. In a high-performance workplace, some of the best ideas come from the employees themselves. Make sure to keep the lines of communication open. Good leaders listen to their employees and treat them as valuable team members.
3. Treat people as equals. If you really want employees to feel a sense of loyalty and commitment, treat them as partners, not hired hands. Give your employees a sense of ownership, and keep them engaged.
4. Provide growth opportunities. It’s estimated that 50 percent of an employee’s skill set becomes outdated in just two years, so make sure you provide your staff with opportunities for personal and professional growth. Allow your employees to take classes and attend professional development seminars. Challenge them with new responsibilities that help them acquire new skills.
5. Say thanks. Just taking the time to say “thank you” is a simple yet effective way to show employees that they’re valued and appreciated.
6. Make time. Make an effort to spend one-on-one time with individual employees. Show each person that you’re personally committed to keeping and growing his or her talent by inquiring what other positions the employee might be interested in as their career develops.
7. Be flexible. It’s important to help each employee achieve a balance between their work life and personal life. Allow them to attend their children’s activities or tend to sick relatives when necessary.
8. Encourage creativity. Employees need to enjoy the work they do, and you need to provide a creative and challenging work environment, or all the other great things the company does won’t matter.
9. Keep them healthy and happy. Encourage good health and wellness of body, mind, and spirit. You can be creative.
10. Lead with the heart. Win your employees over. Excellence is impossible without their affection and respect. Whether it’s through sharing a compelling visit with them, paying attention to work/life balance, or simply providing a positive, uplifting work environment, if you want to keep great employees, find a way to tap into their hearts.