dr. Thomas Schröck: the founder and CEO of The natural gem – leading expert in naturally colored and untreated gemstones as an investment.

In recent years we have seen many negative financial trends due to stagflation. Some of the debilitating factors for individuals are the rising cost of living and concurrent wage stagnation. This has led to massive layoffs of people from their jobs, also known as the ‘great layoff’.

The question is how as a business manager you can best counteract the increasing staff turnover and implement measures to improve your retention planning. As CEO of The Natural Gem, I’ve seen a lot more engagement and collaboration thanks to some of the benefits we’ve implemented. I would like to outline a few that I have seen that have brought about positive change in our organization.

First, it goes without saying that without providing an appropriate income in exchange for your employee’s work, you risk losing a high performer to a competitor. As a business leader, you need to be aware of competitive salaries and make sure your employees are happy with their compensation.

1. Making the workplace aesthetic, organic and ergonomic

Making the office a more pleasant location for your employees starts with physical and visual elements. Does it look cozy? Does the interior support the physical health needs of your employees?

We went to great lengths to add as many beautiful visual components as possible. This included plants, raw gemstones, a wide variety of artwork, and a rooftop terrace with 360-degree views over Vienna. My goal was to create an environment that emphasizes nature and beauty, and I’ve seen our employees take pride in their workplace.

In addition to the visual components, we made sure that the workspaces were as mobile and ergonomic as possible. Each employee gets a large desk with a height-adjustable surface and with different seating options. This also gives the opportunity to have colleagues come by quickly for an appointment or to move around.

2. Education and training

This is probably the most important aspect of my book. By giving education and training as an advantage, you send a message to your employees that they can grow with the company. We want to add value to the individual’s experience, and there is no better way than to focus on their own growth.

Within our company we offer several types of training. This includes not only individual professional development, but also in-depth courses in our field of gemology and in communication courses, such as neuro-linguistic programming. We try to emphasize the growth of our employees, because as our people develop, their professional ambitions become clearer. Then a few things happen: we help them get where they want to be, both personally and professionally, and this in turn adds value to our organization.

This keeps our teams motivated and fulfills the higher levels, for example self-actualization, as illustrated by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The main takeaway here is that our employees’ needs are being met, and they are more likely to stay with the organization and grow with it.

3. Health and work-life balance

These two topics have gained in importance due to the pandemic. We were faced with the question, how can we improve the employee experience in these times of uncertainty? Our approach was to make everything easier and more accessible for our employees.

Among other things, we have hired a cook who prepares healthy and tasty meals for our staff. Knowing that you don’t have to organize lunches or think about where and when to have your next meal makes it a lot easier to focus on your work and eliminates the need for your lunch meals in your spare time. to prepare .

The second thing we did was offer the opportunity to join a nearby gym with a personal training session that helps our people reach their fitness goals and stay fit and healthy. I strongly believe that having an exercise routine helps with your energy levels, and since the gym is close by, it helps them get the most out of their day.

Finally

The implementations above are examples that have worked for our organization. What I encourage you as a company manager to do is start a conversation with your employees. With one-on-one conversations it is possible to clarify the core motivations of each individual employee. From there, you can decide what changes you want to make to bring out the best in your teams.

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