Emotional Resilience Improves Retention Rates - 5 Ways to Strengthen Relationships With Your Diverse Team

In January of 2022, the Marcum LLP and Hofstra University School of Business found that over 43% of CEOs noted employee retention was a “significant concern.” Some of the most common reasons that people quit their jobs are employee morale, lack of opportunities for career development, poor relationships with leadership, lack of reward or recognition, and the possibility of establishing work-life balance. If you’re hoping to strengthen relationships with your diverse team and build emotional resilience within your practice, consider factoring these helpful strategies into your approach.

Five Ways to Strengthen Relationships with Your Diverse Team and Build Emotional Resilience

Organizations that intentionally build relationships with employees and incorporate emotional wellness create a culture built on trust, mutual respect, inclusion, and connection. Cultivating relationships and emotional wellbeing is a win-win approach to attracting and retaining diverse talent while increasing retention. Diverse employees who feel supported professionally and personally report higher job satisfaction, increased productivity, and tend to display a sense of loyalty to the organization.

Here are five ways to strengthen relationships with your diverse team:

1. Get to know your employees. Take the time to understand your employees’ expectations, motivations, and needs. Learn about their career journey and find out what attracted them to your organization. Explore their cultural values and beliefs, then find ways to incorporate these parts of their identity in the work culture. Building genuine relationships and being intentional about understanding who your employees are will help you to support them in their role, and create a culture of inclusivity.

2. Create an emotionally safe environment. Approximately 40% of employees who quit their jobs in 2021 cited burnout as a top reason for leaving, and 16% said they left because their mental health was not supported by the company. Take the time to understand what your employees need to feel supported and affirmed. This is especially necessary for marginalized employees whose feelings are often minimized or dismissed in other aspects of their lives. Helping employees to feel secure enough to freely communicate and show up as their most authentic self without fear of judgment can leave room for difficult or vulnerable conversations when necessary.

3. Create opportunities for open dialogue. Dedicate time for employee check-ins via 1:1 meetings, focus groups, and anonymous surveys to keep track of how things are going for them within the organization. This shows employees that you genuinely care for their well-being and reinforces that their voices do matter. Check-ins are also a great opportunity for mentoring, sharing wins, and providing words of encouragement.

4. Cultivate a collaborative environment. When there are challenges in the workplace it is important to empower employees by encouraging them to be a part of finding solutions. Emphasize that you value their expertise, insight, and experiences. Remember as a leader, you don’t have to have all the answers. Leaning in on your team builds their confidence, trust, and encourages cooperation.

5. Make emotional wellness a priority. Stress, burnout, and mental health issues have become a common reason why employees are leaving the workforce. According to a recent survey from Modern Health and Forrester Consulting, 73% of employees and 81% of managers indicated they would be more likely to stay at a company that offered high-quality mental health resources. To improve retention rates and build internal relationships, organizations need to create a culture that encourages wellness. This can be accomplished by helping employees to prioritize self-care, attending to their mental health needs by increasing access to mental health resources, and normalizing mental health related conversations. It is also important to train leaders to recognize and respond to the signs of emotional distress and burnout. Having emotionally healthy employees creates a healthy work environment.

Remember, your organization does not need to do this alone!

I can help your key players increase team engagement and retention among diverse employees through cultivating stronger relationships and emotional wellness. Click Here to learn more about the Training and Development programs that I offer, or feel free to message me on LinkedIn. With the proper strategies in place, your company can cultivate a workplace culture that each employee will feel proud to represent.