People used to go to work for one company and stay until retirement. Today that is no longer the case. Employee turnover happens in approximately 18 months. That is a waste of time, money and energy for both the employer and employee. It does not have to be that way.

Many companies forget that the most important tool they have are employees. They spend thousands every year on new incentives and fringe benefits to try to lure and keep the best employees possible. While the job market is slow it is the perfect time for employers to instill company loyalty with employees and it can be done absolutely free.

The following are real occurrences:

An employee was working for a large CPA firm when her brother died in a car accident. She was sent a sympathy card from the company. Everyone but the partners signed the card. Upon returning to work she saw that an email was sent to everyone concerning the card and it was left at the sign in/out sheet up front. She realized that every partner in the firm had made a conscious decision to not sign the card. They could have left a note saying “we do not care about you” and it could not have been any clearer.

No one should discuss what they do on Saturday nights with anyone at work. but if you show your employees that you do not care about them, you can not expect them to care about you or your company.

This employee then went to work for a different CPA firm and gave up many fringe benefits to do so, but she gained one that was priceless. She worked for people who cared about her. The atmosphere was one of open honesty. If she did not understand something she could simply walk into any of the partner offices and ask for it to be explained. When things became too intense she was told to take a break. These things cost the employer nothing but a small amount of time, yet the value was too high to be measured.

If you work for a company like the second one mentioned, never leave them! Those jobs are hard to come by and the peace of mind you leave with each day is priceless!