Recruiting and training employees can be a big drain on your business, especially if you’re experiencing a high staff turnover rate. If your staff are dropping like flies and you’re constantly in search of new workers, something isn’t right. Save yourself time, effort and money and get it right the first time around. Here’s how you can go about it.

Have a Rigorous Selection and Interview Process

The interview process allows you to get to know candidates. What are their skills and experiences, have they worked in other roles (either paid or voluntary) which make them a good fit for the position you’re offering? Taking a look into employment history can be a clue, large gaps (or periods of unemployment) may suggest they won’t be reliable in the future. Of course every situation is different, but finding out more is something you’re able to do in the selection and interview stage. No one can predict the future, and the most promising looking candidate might quit after a short time. But spending time carefully selecting can help to minimize risk. Ask for references and follow up on these, and specify explicitly in the job advert what the role entails. Don’t sensationalise the position or make it sound like it’s something it’s not. This prevents people from leaving due to their expectations not being met or the job being different to what they thought.

Reduce Unpleasantness Between Staff Members

Employees working well together is so important for your business Any cases of bullying or workplace harassment should be dealt with quickly and efficiently, ensuring that all rules and laws are followed. Bitchiness and other disagreements at work are likely to lead to a high staff turnover rate, so getting to the bottom of any unpleasantness should be high on your agenda if you believe this is going on.

To improve trust and communication between your staff, team building activities or social gatherings could be a good way to go.

They allow everyone to get to know each other better and could boost productivity in the office. Friendly employees with a good track record of working well in a team could be something to look for when you’re recruiting.

Set Up a Good Office Space

A nice office can play a huge role in employee satisfaction. A space that’s dingy, cramped with out of date equipment can be a source of unhappiness and frustration for workers. A deep clean and re-decoration using light, neutral colors can help to make the most of the space.

Update furniture and equipment, ergonomically designed desks and chairs contribute to reducing strain and other injuries. Fast computers can prevent a lot of frustration due to lagging or crashing. Even changing up the window treatments to let more natural light in can make all the difference.

Do some research into the psychology behind office spaces if you’re planning a refurb.

Have you ever experienced a high staff turnover rate? What did you do to address the problem?

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it may contain affiliate links.