If salary increase and bonus are unavailable, how do you boost team retention and morale with a high turnover rate and more workload?
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There are other factors people appreciate in their organizations. The State of Mental Health in Sales highlights 13.
Here are the Top 5 in order of importance, and frankly they could be aligned to any department.
5. Felt like you were making a difference
4. Felt like you could be open and vulnerable at work with how you are feeling about work
3. Job Security
2. Targets and metrics are achievable
1. Clarity and Direction in your career path.
Retention is the key term. Successful people want to be where they can actually be successful. You can risk loosing the best long term performers. One factor that keeps these folks is when they believe that the company is listening and making necessary changes to products or programs. The answer is in the field, they know what they need to support sales, if it is possible make small steps in that direction.
Connecting with each employee and being intentional in understand their goals professionally and personally. Finding out what type of work drives them and what depletes them. Yes, people want raises but more importantly people want to be valued for what they contribute to the team and organization. Over and over again I hear from top performing professionals that they will take a pay cut if it means that they feel valued and appreciated for what they do. Old school thinking is that if I pay you, you will drive yourself into the ground to deliver. That doesn't work for this multi-generational workforce. Organizations keep giving their employees "stuff" that they don't need. If you're not giving raises you better not be doing holiday gatherings or spending all kinds of crazy money to buy lunches and force people into an office to drive "engagement" because it doesn't work. What boosts engagement, retention, revenue and overall results is a complete shift in how leaders communicate and connect with their employees. That starts with giving them something that doesn't involve giving them more "stuff" it starts with having real conversations about their ambition, growth and what they need.
find out what matters to each individual person
ideas
- early release on certain days or with certain completion rates / targets
- face time with leadership
- leadership sponsoring a project they are passionate about
- a seat at the table on decisions they have shown interest in
- mentoring or skill program
When raises and bonuses aren’t on the table, I focus on other levers to keep the team engaged and motivated. I make sure people feel seen and valued through consistent recognition and meaningful feedback. I look for ways to offer growth, whether that’s taking on new responsibilities, leading a project, or learning a new skill. I try to give as much flexibility as possible so people can manage their workload in a way that works for them. I’m also transparent about challenges and open about what’s in our control, which helps build trust. Most importantly, I invest in the team culture, making space to connect, support each other, and celebrate progress together.