The marine industry is highly competitive today. Shipyard employers need to work hard at retaining their star workers and keep them happy and engaged on the job. As the job market continues to open up, job seekers will have more choices and not be as inclined to stay in a job they dislike. The goal of any marine environment is to become the employer of choice for the area. Shipyard management needs to create initiatives to provide career growth and training. Here are just a few quick tips to help you boost your employee retention moving forward.
- Improve onboarding.
It is astounding to realize how many employees quit a job before their first 90 days. These unhappy shipyard workers indicate poor training and undesirable company culture as their primary reasons for leaving. But you can mitigate this by creating an onboarding program to help train your new employees and make them feel comfortable right from the beginning. One possible option is to offer a mentorship program to pair seasoned employees with new hires to help them become more acclimated to your environment. - Provide regular feedback.
Because dissatisfaction often shows up less than 90 days into a new shipyard job, it doesn’t help the situation to wait until a 3-month review to provide feedback. Instead, provide constructive feedback whenever necessary to help them better understand what they might need to improve. But you should also consider providing positive feedback. When your new shipyard employee gets something right, be sure to tell them. - Offer incentives.
Recognition of a job well done is one of the most powerful motivators in the workplace. But reward isn’t the only way to motivate an employee. Be sure that you are able to provide additional incentives. Look for things that your employees really want. Incentives don’t just encourage your current employees work hard on the job, but they also attract top talent to new open positions in your shipyard.
Are you ready to hire your next marine industry superstar?
The shipyard recruiters at Hutco can help you with hiring and retention in your shipyard, so contact us today to learn more.
