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As new generations enter the workforce, a shift in employee expectations has challenged traditional approaches to retention. Offering competitive salaries is no longer enough — today’s employees want more from their workplace experience. This changing environment has made long-term employee retention feel increasingly difficult for many businesses.
To help, Rolling Stone Culture Council members share what it takes to build a workplace where people want to stay and grow. Follow their recommendations to make your workplace a destination employees won’t want to leave.
Promote Empathy and Compassion
Consider building a company culture around empathy and compassion. When you genuinely value your people and help them find a healthy balance between work and life, they will reward you with loyalty. – Dan Giuliani, Volt Athletics
Demonstrate Growth
It may be unpopular, but all the culture in the world doesn’t matter if your product isn’t cool or your company isn’t growing. If that’s not happening, you need to be the best of the best in work-life balance and pay exceptionally. Growth excites people, and if you’re not growing, you have to offer something equally compelling, like flexibility and balance, to keep employees long term. – Jessica Billingsley, Sona Capital
Offer Clear Career Pathways
To ensure employee retention, it’s important to design a clear career trajectory for each role. Open communication is essential for understanding what employees would like to achieve in their time at your organization, and it allows them the opportunity to address their concerns. When you create a supportive environment that leaves employees feeling valued and heard, you will minimize employee turnover. – Jason Peterson, GoDigital Media Group
Update the Workplace
Companies that are hiring Gen Z employees have to also adjust to the social, cultural, political, tech and other changes they are used to. If your workplace looks like an ‘80s-era office, remember that Gen Z does not have the attachments that you may have to that era. You will attract more of them to stay if the vibe they get is the one they want. – Zain Jaffer, Zain Jaffer Foundation
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?
Encourage Team Connection
To build a strong sense of community and connection in the workplace, create a culture where employees feel valued and integrated into a cohesive team. Encourage team-building activities, maintain open communication and cultivate an inclusive culture that appreciates everyone’s contributions. – Kristin Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
Provide Personalized Incentives
Learn what your employees value most and provide or create opportunities for them to earn those incentives. These can include financial incentives, working remotely, flexible work hours, title and responsibility upgrades, extra paid vacation days and so on. Over time, they change, so it’s important to stay in constant communication so you know when they change. – Matthew Forster, CMS Nashville
Support Personal, Professional and Financial Growth
Creating a supportive atmosphere where employees feel they can grow personally, professionally and financially will help make your workplace a place where they want to stay long term. Provide them with the benefits they need to thrive outside of work, ample opportunities to enhance their skills and move their careers forward, and regular raises and you’ll keep your employees for far longer. – Evan Nison, NisonCo
Redefine Work as Purpose
Everyone has to work to make a living, but what people want is to live with purpose. No matter the industry, there are ways to establish the meaning of tasks. Express the values of your company’s mission, offer clear paths to future opportunities and develop meaningful team assignments outside the office and into the community. – Magen Baker, Bell + Ivy
Recognize and Celebrate Progress
Create a culture of growth and recognition. Offer clear career progression and regular feedback, and celebrate achievements. Employees will feel valued and invested in the company’s future, turning a job into a long-term commitment. – Francis Hellyer, tickadoo
Provide Opportunities for Top Talent
Create a path for growth, especially for your top performers. If there’s no real possibility for growth in your business, then your best contributors will probably leave. Most high achievers hate the feeling of stagnation, and they will likely exit a situation that doesn’t allow them to continue to develop and grow. Have you asked your best people where they want their careers to go in the future? – Jed Brewer, Good Loud Media
