Attracting and retaining top talent doesn’t just revolve around a monthly payslip, says Ipswich-based HR expert, Doug Betts, CEO at Sure Betts HR Solutions.
All too often, business owners and MD’s are kept awake at night wondering why they struggle to hire people who are a great fit for their culture and have the right skills, and then face a fight to retain them.
Some may decide to increase base pay or offer a bonus if they can afford to do so. But this is missing the point – not every employee follows the money. Ultimately people want to enjoy being at work, enjoy solving problems, and be trusted with the autonomy to do so – regardless of the sector or size of the business.
Sounds easy, but so many businesses get this wrong. As evidenced by the number of posts on social media where people are asking for help about how to deal with a toxic manager or work environment, and the number of employment tribunal claims where people feel that they’ve been mistreated at work.
In the 2024/25 financial year according to gov.uk statistics, 42,000 single tribunal claims were made in the UK, an increase of 23% compared to 2023/24.
In my line of work as an independent HR consultant, I see these issues time and time again. Rather than just firefighting, I work with my clients to tackle the root causes – empowering and training anyone who is a People Manager to have the right skills to lead their people effectively.
Here are some top tips that any managing director, CEO, or founder can implement right now to turn things around in your business – but be warned, you may have to start with some difficult conversations and hard decisions.
That’s the number one reason issues escalate – managers prefer to avoid having difficult conversations and let things fester rather than dealing with them early in the right way.
Create the right culture – starting at the top: A positive workplace culture isn’t a happy accident; it’s intentionally cultivated.
This is no longer a “nice to have” – it’s essential. It must be modelled by senior leadership, who set the example for transparency, respect, and psychological safety – meaning your employees feel they can speak up without fear of being included in the next restructure.
This top-down approach ensures that the company’s values are consistently reflected throughout the entire organisation.
Having the right values means living them and reflecting them across every process, every experience – whether that’s with a customer or employee.
Don’t think that just having pretty posters with your “values” written on in your reception area is going to cut it – it won’t.
If you as the founder are living them, but your senior leadership team are not, you need to hold them accountable for this and ensure that their behaviours change. If you don’t it will cost you time and money in loss of staff morale and productivity.
Have open and honest communication: Building trust is essential for retention, and it’s built through clear, two-way dialogue.
This goes beyond e-mail bulletins, town hall meetings and tick box appraisals. You need to create channels for employees to share feedback and for leaders to listen and respond transparently.
When people feel heard, they feel valued.
All feedback should be seen as a gift and a way to improve, and all people leaders should be open to hearing it – even if it’s not what they want to hear. Better to hear the negatives and improve than be surrounded by employees who agree with you because they’re too scared to do anything else.
Don’t just look at pay and benefits – look at the whole employee experience: While financial compensation is important, it’s only one piece of the puzzle.
The full employee experience encompasses everything from a seamless recruitment and onboarding process to opportunities for growth and development… which includes having clear career paths and a genuine focus on well-being.
A holistic approach recognises that people are motivated by more than just money. The tone is set right from the start, so it’s essential that you recruit in the right way giving candidates a positive impression of your organisation to avoid the top talent looking elsewhere.
Invest in training and developing your people managers in the basics: The skills of effective leadership – such as giving constructive feedback, managing conflict, and motivating a team – are not innate.
Companies must provide managers with a safe space for training and development, ensuring their people leaders have the essential tools to lead with empathy and skill. This investment directly reduces turnover and fosters a thriving workforce.
Put all these things in place, and you’re more likely to have a happier, more productive workforce, higher profits and a better reputation in the local community.
Free resources and information available at surebetthr.com. You can also connect with Doug on LinkedIn.
