Building Employee Loyalty

The average restaurant loses $95,000 every year due to staff turnover. Why? Because 75% of staff quit within their first year. That's like replacing your entire team... every... single... year. —> Stop focusing on hiring. —> Start focusing on keeping. Here's a real story that changed everything for one restaurant: Two servers. Same position. Very different outcomes: Server A: • Traditional approach • Thrown into the mix • Quit after 3 months • $3,000 spent on hiring/onboarding • Unhappy customers during transition Total cost: $5,000+ in losses Server B: • New approach • Stayed 2+ years • Became a trainer • Built regular customers • Total value: $20,000+ in gains The simple truth? Happy employees = Happy customers High turnover = Lost money 4 rules that actually work: Make Schedules Matter —> Post schedules 4 weeks ahead —> Hybrid work for managers —> Protect days off —> Let staff swap shifts easily Build Real Growth Plans —> Show the path up —> Monthly 1/1 check-ins —> Skills training —> Cross-training opportunities Create Strong Culture —> Team meals —> Performance recognition —> Peer to Peer rewards program —> Advancement opportunity Protect Your People —> No double shifts without consent —> Workload protection —> Breaks that actually happen —> Mental health resources Remember: Good people stay where they're valued. The math is simple: $2,500 to replace someone vs. $1,000 to keep them happy Follow me Jim Taylor for daily tips. And if this was relevant for you, please repost it. You never know who might find it useful. 👊🏻 #Restaurants #Hospitality #Leadership #Management

We've all seen them: those generic work excuse notes. Here's the thing: they often fall short of what employees truly need. What if we offered more than just a piece of paper? Here's how companies can truly support their teams facing life challenges: ⚫ Family Loss: Going through a loss? A few days off isn't enough. Offer extended leave and a flexible return plan to ease the transition back to work. ⚫ Miscarriage: This isn't just a physical issue. Provide generous leave, access to grief counseling, and understanding during this difficult time. ⚫ Child's Hospitalization: Medical bills don't disappear with a get-well card. Consider extending healthcare support and covering unexpected costs. ⚫ Chronic Illness: "Feel better" just doesn't cut it. Offer ongoing adjustments to work roles and schedules to create a sustainable work environment for employees with chronic health conditions. ⚫ Financial Stress: Financial worries are a heavy burden. Explore emergency financial assistance and flexible pay options to alleviate some of the pressure. ⚫ Burnout: A quick break isn't a solution. Offer mandatory time off, access to wellness resources, and address the root causes of burnout to prevent future issues. ⚫ Workplace Bullying: Policies are a start, but take action! Enforce strict anti-bullying rules to create a safe and respectful work environment. ⚫ Returning Parents: Re-entry is hard. Support them with a gradual return schedule and flexible hours to help them adjust. ⚫ Injury Recovery: Focus on security, not just recovery. Protect their job and adjust duties as needed to ensure a smooth return to work. ⚫ Caring for a Sick Child: Shouldn't be a choice between family and work. Offer guaranteed leave with job security to alleviate stress and allow them to focus on their child's well-being. ⚫ Eldercare: Taking care of aging parents takes time. Show flexibility and understanding towards their eldercare responsibilities. ⚫ Mental Exhaustion: Rest isn't enough. Offer structured mental health breaks and support programs to manage stress and promote emotional well-being. ⚫ Personal Trauma: Healing requires support. Provide access to professional therapists and recovery groups to help employees navigate difficult experiences. ⚫ Disability Needs: Accessibility is more than ramps. Regularly assess and adjust the workspace to meet individual needs and ensure everyone can thrive. ⚫ Workplace Safety: Safety isn't an afterthought. Implement and enforce strong safety measures to prevent injuries in the first place. We can do better than shuffling paperwork. Let's stand by our teams, not just oversee them. By prioritizing employee well-being over policies, we create a win-win situation for everyone. A happy, healthy, and supported workforce is a productive and successful workforce. What are your thoughts on supporting employees through life challenges? Share your experiences in the comments! #empathy #worklifebalance

There is growing concern in corporate mental health, especially within the Middle East, where traditional, one-size-fits-all approaches to employee mental health often miss the mark. Given the current regional context, exposure to painful conflicts, employees face specific challenges—such as secondary trauma, vicarious trauma, and PTSD—that standard wellness programs might not adequately address. The current trend of expecting managers to bridge the gap between employees' needs and corporate mental health programs is problematic. While managers can and should offer support, expecting them to manage complex mental health issues without specialized training or resources is both unrealistic and potentially harmful. The solution would involve organizations adopting trauma-informed policies and creating a workplace culture that understands and responds sensitively to these needs. These could include: 1. When choosing mental health trainings or wellness programs, make sure they are culturally tailored and region specific. 2. Have trauma-informed policies and practices which could include defining boundaries around managers' roles in supporting employees, acknowledging that they are not therapists. These policies should focus on recognizing trauma symptoms, avoiding re-traumatization, and connecting employees to appropriate mental health resources. Also, considering flexible work options for employees struggling with their mental health or having a trauma reaction. These flex work options could include having a workplace that has quiet rooms, or allow for remote work days, or flexible hours, to allow space for self-care and recovery. 3. Offer access to mental health professionals who are both trauma-informed and culturally aware, partnering with regional mental health providers who understand the local context. 4. Expand the corporate “wellness” agenda to include workshops and seminars about vicarious trauma, PTSD, and secondary trauma, focusing on how these issues can affect them indirectly through news, social connections, or work responsibilities. 5. Offer employees routine emotional well-being check-ins with a mental health professional, where they can discuss their concerns in a confidential setting, especially after significant regional events or traumatic incidents. You can also consider group debriefings for teams who may be experiencing vicarious trauma due to their work or regional news. Structured support sessions can help individuals process collective experiences. #BigIdeas2025

In hospitality, leadership is not just about running a service. It’s about shaping lives. The truth is, your manager often has more influence over your daily well-being than almost anyone else. In an industry where we work long hours, operate under pressure, and rely heavily on teamwork, the tone set by leadership impacts everything—from morale to confidence, growth, and even mental health. I’ve seen firsthand how exceptional leaders can change the trajectory of someone’s career. A great leader doesn’t just manage schedules and operations. They create an environment where people feel respected, supported, and motivated to become better than they were yesterday. They teach, mentor, and lead by example. They understand that behind every uniform is a human being with ambitions, challenges, and potential. In hospitality, many of us didn’t just learn how to cook, serve, or manage—we learned how to lead from the people who believed in us first. And the opposite is also true. Poor leadership can push talented individuals out of this incredible industry far too soon. That’s why leadership matters so deeply in hospitality. When the right people are guiding a team, it doesn’t just improve operations—it transforms careers, builds confidence, and creates cultures where people thrive. Great restaurants and hospitality groups are not built only on concept, cuisine, or design. They are built on people who know how to lead people. And when someone is fortunate enough to work under a leader who truly invests in them, it can change far more than their job. It can change their life. #HospitalityLeadership #RestaurantLeadership #HospitalityCareers #LeadershipMatters #PeopleFirst

Your best people are about to quit. And you don't even know it. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ I've placed hundreds of professionals. Every exit interview? Same story. It's never about the money. (Well, not JUST the money.) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ High turnover isn't inevitable. It's a choice. And replacing your stars costs: → 6 months salary → Team morale   → Client trust Ping pong tables won't fix this. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Here's what actually keeps talent: ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 1) PAY PROPERLY Stop lowballing. Match market rates. Reward performance. Your competitor is one call away. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 2) ACTUALLY SEE THEM That project they crushed? Notice it. Say it out loud. In front of others. Recognition costs nothing. Invisibility costs everything. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 3) TRUST THEM LIKE ADULTS ❌ "Butts in seats by 9am" ✅ "Get the work done" They're professionals, not children. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 4) TELL THE TRUTH Bad news? Share it. Future uncertain? Say so. Big decisions? Include them. Secrets kill loyalty faster than layoffs. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 5) INVEST IN THEIR GROWTH No budget for training? You'll pay for it in resignations. Stagnant people leave. Growing people stay. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 6) LISTEN, THEN ACT Collecting feedback to ignore it? That's worse than not asking. They're telling you how to keep them. Are you listening? ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 7) RESPECT THEIR LIVES No boundaries = No loyalty Midnight emails = resignation letters Weekend "emergencies" = LinkedIn updates ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ The brutal truth: People don't leave companies. They leave managers who: → Steal credit → Micromanage → Ignore wellbeing → Give no growth path ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Ask yourself: Are you why they stay? Or why they're secretly interviewing? Your answer determines your team's future. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Which one hits closest to home? 👇 ♻️ Repost to save someone's team ➕ Follow Shulin Lee for more hiring truths P.S. That superstar who "suddenly" resigned? They've been unhappy for months. You just weren't paying attention.

You can’t demand loyalty. You can’t buy it. You can’t shortcut it. You earn it through tiny actions repeated consistently. And when leaders miss those moments, they lose the people who matter most — often without even realising it. Because loyalty isn’t built in bonuses, titles, or flashy culture programs. It’s built in the small, human moments your team feels every day. The ones you think don’t matter… but matter the most. And that’s where leadership breaks down. Not with bad strategy. But with quiet neglect. Here are the tiny things that silently build loyalty stronger than any engagement initiative you could design: 10 Tiny Gestures That Build Massive Loyalty 1️⃣ Remember the small things ↳ Birthdays. Family moments. Life outside work. ↳ Being seen matters more than being managed. 2️⃣ Say “thank you” — properly ↳ Not generic. Not rushed. ↳ Specific, sincere recognition builds pride. 3️⃣ Ask “How are you… really?” ↳ Most leaders ask the question but never hold the space. ↳ Your team knows the difference. 4️⃣ Give credit loudly. Take blame quietly. ↳ Your people judge you faster by your behaviour under pressure than by any speech about culture. 5️⃣ Keep the small promises ↳ You can’t ask for trust while breaking tiny commitments. 6️⃣ Guard their time ↳ If everything is urgent, nothing is meaningful. ↳ Respecting time is respecting people. 7️⃣ Celebrate progress, not just wins ↳ Momentum builds performance. ↳ People stay when they feel momentum with you. 8️⃣ Admit when you’re wrong ↳ Humility is a leadership superpower. ↳ It earns loyalty instantly. 9️⃣ Make space for quiet voices ↳ Loud doesn’t equal valuable. ↳ Your best ideas often come from the ones who speak last. 🔟 Lead with consistency ↳ Predictability builds safety. ↳ Your team should never have to guess which version of you is walking in today. Here’s what I’ve learned coaching leaders: 👉 Loyalty is never built in the big moments. 👉 It’s built in the tiny moments you think no one notices. 👉 And those moments determine who stays, who grows, and who gives you their best. The small things aren’t small. They’re the difference. What’s one tiny gesture from a leader you still remember to this day? ♻ Share this with your network if it resonates. ☝ And follow Stuart Andrews for more insights like this.

9 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱-𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 👇 In all my years of building and scaling teams, here’s what’s never changed: 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻, 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱. Retention isn't a policy—it's a mindset. Here’s how I’ve seen it work: 1. 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵. → Top performers won’t ask to be overpaid. But underpaying them will cost you far more. Pay them well. Promote early. Give them something to build. 2. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗵𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁. →Don’t wait for appraisal cycles. Publicly acknowledge good work. Privately thank people for effort. Momentum is built through appreciation. 3. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆. → When people make mistakes, coach—not criticize. Growth happens where there’s trust. 4. 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽. → Want people to act like leaders? Hand them something that matters—and get out of the way. 5. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. → “No-meeting” days are powerful. So is respecting deep work. Productivity is not in busy calendars—it's in uninterrupted focus. 6. 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. → If you hired smart people, let them be smart. Your trust is the fastest path to their best work. 7. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻—𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵. → Ask where they want to go. Align their path with the company’s journey. People stay where their future is being built. 8. 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹. → Create a culture where feedback flows both ways—respectfully and consistently. You’ll build stronger teams and stronger trust. 9. 𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆. → One toxic high-performer can destroy years of culture. Protect your people by protecting the environment they work in. Retention isn’t about perks. It’s about purpose, respect, clarity, and belief. When people feel seen—they stay. When they feel stretched—they grow. When they feel trusted—they lead. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. #Leadership #TalentRetention #TeamCulture #PeopleFirst #AditiWrites

Safe Work Australia have released their new 'Psychological health and safety in the workplace' data report - the key findings should be a wake-up call for all organisations in Australia. 🚨 According to the report a staggering 45.8% of mental health condition claims in 2021-22 were due to anxiety and stress disorders. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. With mental health conditions costing significantly more in compensation and lost time than other injuries, it's clear we have a growing issue that demands immediate action. 🤔 Here's what every organization needs to know: ⬇️⬇️⬇️ The Cost of Inaction is High: Mental health conditions led to a median compensation of $58,615 and 34.2 lost working weeks, far surpassing the costs for other injuries and diseases. Root Causes Identified: The leading causes of mental health claims include work-related harassment, bullying, and excessive work pressure. Industries at the Forefront: Health care, social assistance, and public administration industries have borne the brunt, with the highest numbers of claims. Women Are Disproportionately Affected: Representing 57.8% of all serious claims, women are particularly vulnerable to work-related psychological health issues. Priority Areas for Organizations: ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Enhance Support Systems: Develop robust psychosocial risk assessments, mental health support and intervention strategies. Cultivate a Positive Workplace Culture: Address and mitigate work-related harassment and bullying. Implement Preventive Measures: Focus on reducing work pressure through better workload management. Promote Awareness and Reduce Stigma: Encourage open discussions about mental health to normalize seeking help. These findings underscore the urgent need for a strategic approach to mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. It's not just about reducing costs - it's about creating a healthier, more productive working environment for everyone. Let's share in the comments:👇🏽 How is your organization addressing these challenges? Are there innovative strategies you’ve found effective in supporting mental health at work? #mentalhealth #workplacewellbeing #organizationalhealth #leadership #psychosocialhazards Let’s discuss how we can turn these insights into action for the betterment of our workplaces. What’s your take on this priority? Full report: https://lnkd.in/gMEtUfZT

Ah, the founder's journey – where your daily routine swings between "I've got this!" and "What did I get myself into?" But amidst the chaos of building your startup, there's one aspect that’s make or break is your company culture. It's the secret sauce that transforms a group of talented individuals into an unstoppable force. So, how do you create an environment where your team thrives, innovates, and stays committed to a shared vision? An environment so awesome that your team actually looks forward to Mondays? (Yes, it's possible!) Here’s my guide to creating a workplace culture that not only attracts top talent but makes them think twice about those LinkedIn messages from recruiters: 1. Empower, Don't Micromanage Give your team autonomy. Focus on outcomes rather than processes to unlock creativity and initiative. 2. Invest in Growth Create clear progression paths and offer regular training. When employees see a future with your company, they invest their full potential in the present. 3. Set Clear Expectations Ambiguity leads to inefficiency. Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and goals to boost performance and job satisfaction. 4. Embrace a 'Fail Forward' Mentality Foster an environment where calculated risks are encouraged and failure is seen as a learning opportunity. 5. Communicate the Vision Regularly share your company's mission and help team members see how their work contributes to the bigger picture. 6. Prioritize Open Communication Implement feedback channels and be accessible. When employees feel heard, they're more likely to contribute innovative ideas. 7. Build for Stability Address issues that may lead to turnover. Retaining talent is often more beneficial than constant recruitment. 8. Celebrate Achievements Recognize both individual and team successes. This reinforces positive behaviors and boosts morale. 9. Promote Work-Life Balance Encourage healthy boundaries and respect personal time. A well-rested team is more creative and productive. 10. Foster Collaboration Encourage cross-departmental projects to break down silos and create a unified company culture. 11. Prioritize Well-being Offer mental health resources and create a culture where it's acceptable to discuss challenges openly. 12. Lead with Transparency Share both successes and challenges. This builds trust and provides context for effective problem-solving at all levels. Creating a positive work environment goes beyond surface-level perks. It's about building a culture of trust, growth, and shared purpose. As founders, our actions set the tone for the entire organization. What would you add?

People don’t leave jobs—they leave leaders who don’t make them feel seen or valued. I’ve learned that when employees feel genuinely appreciated and supported, they stay and thrive. It’s not about flashy perks; it’s about creating a culture where they can grow and feel secure. Here’s what I believe keeps great employees around: 1) Recognition Matters – A simple “thank you” can build loyalty faster than any bonus. 2) Growth is Non-Negotiable – People stay when they see a future for themselves. 3) Culture is Everything – A positive environment makes hard work worth it. 4) Flexibility Builds Trust – Work-life balance isn’t a perk—it’s expected. 5) Purpose Drives Commitment – People want to know their work matters. 6) Authentic Communication Builds Connection – Open, honest dialogue fosters trust and makes employees feel heard and involved in decision-making. 7) Empowerment Fuels Ownership – Giving employees autonomy and ownership over their work cultivates accountability and pride in their contributions. 8) Psychological Safety Encourages Innovation – Teams thrive when they feel safe to share ideas and take risks without fear of judgment or failure. 9) Fairness and Transparency Strengthen Loyalty – Consistent, fair treatment and transparent leadership build trust and reduce turnover. 10) Create an environment of personal growth – Foster a culture that prioritises continuous learning and development through personalised growth opportunities, mentorship, and meaningful feedback. When employees can align their personal goals with company objectives, they become more engaged, motivated, and committed to long-term success. What’s one thing you’re doing to make your team feel valued? --------------------------------------------------------------- Enjoyed this post? Follow me Adam Strong for more tips and insights on high performance, growing/scaling a business, personal growth, and leadership. 🚀💡