The Great Resignation is a term coined in May 2021 that highlights the mass exodus of employees from the workforce. Organizations with front-line workers were hit the hardest, with nearly 22 million “quits” from July 2021-December 2021 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Losing people at that rate isn’t sustainable for any organization and the problem is compounded when replacement workers are not readily available to backfill open positions.
According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management, replacing an hourly employee takes an average of 42 days at an average cost of $4,129 based on an average minimum hourly rate of $12.80. That’s precious time, energy and resources spent recruiting, hiring, and training new employees, while managers who are often expected to fill the void bear the stress and added responsibilities. This can cause a ripple effect for those workers who remain, adding to their stress and impacting their production. These talent gaps can negatively impact the workplace culture, decreasing engagement and weakening manager-employee relationships.
If employers are going to improve retention, it’s time to rethink how we engage with workers in order to create the best possible employee experience and inspire team members to stay longer.
Why do employees leave?
When considering retention, it’s important to first understand why employees are leaving. What’s driving them to consider working somewhere else? In 2022, the top reasons* listed in exit interviews included
- Lack of growth and potential
- Inefficient management
- Poor workplace culture
- Lack of recognition and praise
*Gathered by TeamBuilding
The reasons listed above may look familiar. During the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a massive shift in what people prioritize and how they perceive work. Many people reported wanting to feel valued and to know that their work matters and is making a difference. Employees want to grow and develop with a team that supports their goals, both personally and professionally, thereby establishing a connection. Further, employees want to be part of teams that make an impact and foster a culture of collaboration, trust, and respect.
So, with so many of these factors influencing the employee experience, where do we start?
More often than not, it ultimately comes down to the Manager-Employee relationship. At Truvelop, we believe in the phrase, “Employees leave Managers, not organizations.”
Truvelop Co-founder and CEO Lisa First-Willis explains,
“Employees want leaders who will be supportive coaches and who will advocate for their development and overall experience. If we can help transform Managers into effective Leaders, then we can inspire Employees to stay longer. When Managers have the tools, resources, and guidance available to effectively lead their teams, Employees can receive personalized coaching that helps them to grow and feel like a valued contributor to the organization.”
Managers influence 70% of variance in employee satisfaction therefore, it is crucial to prioritize the Manager-Employee relationship at the front line.
Truvelop Solves for Retention
Truvelop solves for retention by: 1) developing Managers into Leaders, 2) strengthening the Manager-Employee relationship, and 3) building better workplaces.
With these three pillars in mind, we’ve cultivated a platform that facilitates meaningful touchpoints between managers and employees and makes it easier for any team member in any role to learn and grow at their own pace.
Within a year of using Truvelop, our customers see their organization Evaluation average increase by 1.5 grades (B to A-, A- to A, etc.) on average. With that kind of support and growth taking place across the enterprise it’s no surprise that on average, our customers retain more than 80% of their workforce.
Data-Driven Insights
One of the biggest barriers to an employee’s success is a lack of communication about where the employee stands today. If a Team Member is left wondering what they’re doing well or what they need to spend time on improving, then they’re going to feel demotivated. However, Employees whose managers regularly communicate with them are nearly three times more engaged than those with managers who don’t regularly communicate.
Truvelop takes this a step further and equips both managers and employees with data-driven insights to prompt actionable steps. The Truvelop-generated insights let the manager know how the employee is currently performing, why that matters, and what each individual can do to advance growth and development.
Truvelop customer Greg Buchner, CBSE, President and CEO of CleanOffice and PorterPlus, shares,
“With Truvelop, our field supervisors finally have a user-friendly tool that ensures that all employee evaluations will be standardized, on time and include ‘coaching insights’ that help our supervisors and managers better understand our workforce. In the cleaning industry ‘human capital’ is our product and accounts for over 75% of our costs-of-goods-sold (COGS). With this in mind, we can’t afford to minimize the value of investing in our workforce!”
Another customer, Sunless, has seen 100% of their Managers meet their utilization goals each quarter, which has contributed to cutting turnover in half in the first six months of using Truvelop.
When employees know what they’re doing well and what they can do to improve, they are going to feel seen and valued, have a strong sense of autonomy, experience efficient development, and fall into a cycle of growth and positive reinforcement. Imagine if you and your team felt this kind of support all the time. How would that affect your relationship with your Manager, your team, your organization?
Actionable Next Steps
Truvelop’s employee assessments provide clear, actionable next steps based on the Employee’s current performance. Every employee needs different support. Some employees need praise and affirmation that they’re doing well. Others may need additional motivation to tap into their full potential. Anyone who is struggling may need coaching or hands-on support to overcome the obstacles holding them back. Whatever support a team needs, Truvelop’s Evaluation Insights removes the guesswork, making it easy for Managers to have more meaningful touchpoints that will drive growth, strengthen the manager-employee relationship, and help employees to feel seen, heard and valued.
This kind of personalized guidance is why TEI’s recent supervisor survey showed that 95% of employees “feel valued at work” and 100% of Supervisors “feel like they have the tools to do their job successfully.” With Truvelop, organizations aren’t simply collecting data; their staff is leveraging data to drive intentional, individualized conversations.
More recently, Truvelop began taking the Evaluation Insights one step further. With our most recent product enhancement, Managers and Employees receive an additional resource in-app, connecting them directly to our Knowledge Center in two clicks or less. Our users are saving even more time by not having to search through the relevant tips, articles, or videos. Managers are receiving guidance on how to best support their team, and employees are learning about what they can do to further their growth and development.
Truvelop customer Andrea Breeden, Lead Director of Communications at Calvary Church, shares,
“As leaders, we all want to lead well and know that we are helping our team excel. Truvelop has helped me keep the values of encouragement and development a priority through their evaluation process and the Spark feature. It also provides me with valuable resources through the Knowledge Center to help me grow as a leader, such as being aware of my personal biases and how to have difficult conversations.”
People want to grow and develop their skills. By making it easier for them to develop, they are more likely to take advantage of those opportunities. For many organizations, simply having the learning resources in place is enough. However, Truvelop wants to clearly connect the dots between the what, the how, and the why.
Anybody can collect data, but a true leader will use that information to support, guide, and inspire their team. Taking action versus simply recording it is what drives positive behavior changes and shows employees that their work matters and that their manager believes in their potential. That’s why 100% of our customer leaders agree that “Truvelop helps improve Manager and Employee relationships at the front line.”
Real Time Feedback
Once a Manager has been able to identify and execute the next step, it’s time to memorialize the touchpoint with a Spark. Spark is Truvelop’s tool for real time feedback. Both Managers and Employees can share feedback across the organization. This makes it easy to deliver praise, share coaching tips, and document takeaways from a 1:1.
High engagement and retention relies heavily on consistent, real time feedback between Managers and Employees. In fact, Gallup has found that 96% of employees say that receiving regular feedback is a good thing.
At Harkins, Spark has been key driver of development across their organization. Since using Truvelop, Harkins’ average Evaluation score has increased from a B to an A-, meaning their talent has grown and improved steadily across the entire organization. The employees have recognized this impact, with 72% of employees stating that the ongoing feedback is a good thing, and they continue to seek even more feedback from their managers. Today, Harkins has a 97% retention rate.
According to Jake Bredeck, Estimator at Harkins,
“It’s a good feeling to get feedback. Truvelop is a catalyst for feedback from my managers on numerous occasions. Not only is Truvelop a helpful tool for managers to provide feedback without finding time for a face to face meeting, but it’s a great resource to the employee for record keeping of their manager’s feedback throughout the course of their career.”
Spark has been a key driver of Gladstein, Neandross, and Associates’ development-focused culture. Since partnering with Truvelop back in November 2021, GNA has documented over 1000 Sparks. Managers are consistently communicating with their teams, delivering real time praise and recognition, and sharing in-the-moment coaching. This has directly influenced GNA’s employee retention rates, slashing their average 6-month turnover numbers by half.
Employees want to know that their Manager is invested in their career. With Spark, Employees can see that investment and feel that support in the moment, when it counts.
Spark isn’t just a tool for Managers to connect with their employees. Employees also leverage Spark to initiate the conversation with their manager, and give real time feedback to other employees. This 360 degree feedback has been an amazing way for organizations to strengthen their culture and retain their teams.
For EHE Health, Spark was a lifeline during the pandemic. As a healthcare organization, EHE Health certainly felt the sting of the Covid-19 pandemic, but with a tool to drive real time feedback and elevate employee voices, they were able to retain their team.
Ian Kirlick, Senior Director at EHE Health, shares,
“EHE Health has benefited tremendously from Truvelop. While my team was working remotely, we were still able to share meaningful constructive feedback to drive production. Our team building and communication never faltered due to Truvelop.”
The Manager-Employee relationship is critical to solving retention. When it comes to influencing the team member experience, Managers are in a position of impact. To retain their teams, managers have to elevate their leadership skills and competencies.
With Truvelop, we’re making it easy to learn and develop on the go, all the while equipping managers and employees with the tools and resources to have meaningful, data-driven touchpoints in the moment, when it counts.
Ready to take the first step to improve retention with Truvelop? Contact us today to learn more about how we partner with our customers to build better workplaces where managers and employees are inspired, engaged and performing at their full potential. We would love to tell you more about our award-winning app.
