It’s no surprise that having tenured employees ultimately saves time and money. Think about a company that has a lot of turnover. You spend most of your time recruiting staff, interviewing, hiring, training, etc. On top of that, ensuring coverage so that service and quality of work isn’t compromised while you’re in the process of filling the needed position(s). Truthfully, just thinking about it is exhausting. And believe me, I’ve been there and done that.
I’m coming up on 5-years working at Ideba and time has flown by. I used to work in the hospitality industry, which had me up early and burning the midnight oil nearly 7-days a week. I had dreamed about working from home and having a quality of life, but it seemed so farfetched. Boy was I wrong. In the time that I’ve worked at Ideba, we have had almost zero turnover and I believe this is why –
- Remote working – everyone works from a remote location, which literally could be anywhere. Feel like taking a trip to the mountains, the beach, another country? No problem. Want to work from a coffee shop? Enjoy. There are no limits, as long as you put in the time and get the job done (which everyone does, no questions asked).
- Responsibility and honesty – we never have to question if someone is working, because the entire team is responsible and honest. We keep our calendars updated so we know when someone is available or unavailable. We work hard. We care a lot about our jobs and take the quality of our work very seriously. With everyone sharing that same mindset and drive/dedication, it really does makes working together so much better.
- Teamwork – I’ve worked with people over the years that clock in at 9am and clock out at 5pm, regardless of what’s going on. I’ve worked with people that focus on their job and their job only. Never have I experienced either of those type of people at Ideba. We lean on each other and ask for help when we need it. We offer help when we have available time. We never feel that one person is drowning with work while someone else has their feet kicked up. There is a true sense of “team” and we know that if one of us wins, we all win, and if one of us fails, we all fail. I do believe, cheesy or not, that teamwork really does make the dream work.
- Leadership – micromanaging is the worst type of leadership there is. Our leadership team is flexible, trusting and extremely supportive. Because we have such a responsible and honest team, it makes it easy to not have to watch over someone’s shoulder. Who has time for that anyway? I’ve talked about how supportive our team is in a previous blog, and I could go on for days. It’s unlike what I’ve seen anywhere else.
- Benefits – although we are a small company and might not have some of the benefits large corporations provide, our benefits are more unique and tailored toward individual preferences and needs. For example, some of us like to travel and would rather a plane ticket or hotel room over a cash bonus. Some of us are focused on retirement savings, so putting that money toward our investment account might be better. We work in an environment that allows us to have open conversations about our preferences and goals, and the company helps us achieve those.
I enjoy training, but I’d rather train on new tasks or more efficient ways of doing things than having to train from the basics. Saving that time and being able to spend it towards quality work for clients is much more valuable (and rewarding). I’m so proud to work for a company where longevity is one of our key elements, yet we never get stagnant. Do you work for a company with minimal turnover? I’d love to hear some ways that your company retains employees. Send me a note at jennaw@idebamarketing.com.
– Jenna Whelan, VP Consulting & Research Services
