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If you run a digital marketing agency, especially a boutique digital marketing agency like I did, then you could be in serious turnover hell if your employees aren’t happy. The good news about the digital marketing industry is the endless amount of business, but the bad news is that good employees are in extreme high demand. Small boutiques often lose the great employees they trained and molded to bigger agencies with something “more” to offer. So, how can you minimize the loss of great employees to bigger agencies? Well, there are many things you can do but let’s focus on one step for this blog post: good communication. Simply talking to the members of your team and listening is the first step to a happier team.
Look at the below statistic from an infographic I found on Officevibe. 89% of employers think employees leave for more money, but only 12% of employees actually leave for more money. What a huge communication gap!
When I opened The Ocean Agency in 2003 I found all of this out the hard way. As time went by I saw a direct correlation between the best employees and turnover. Over time, I found out the hard way that the more I talked, and more importantly listened, to the members of my team the happier everyone was, and the more loyal employees became to my agency. Just the appreciation alone of involving my team members in agency growth and culture decisions had a positive impact.
Below are 14 questions I would ask the members of my team, at least two times per year.
Click here to download a PDF of the checklist.
- On a scale of 1-10, how happy are you working at this agency?
- How would you improve our agency?
- On a scale of 1-10, how happy are you with our company culture?
- In what ways can we improve our company culture?
- On a scale of 1-10, how much do you like your role at this company?
- Is there a different role at our agency that you’d like to be in?
- On a scale of 1-10, how much do you like your team?
- In what ways can your team improve?
- On a scale of 1-10, how good are the tools and resources you have to best perform your job?
- What can he/she/I do to be better as a boss?
- On a scale of 1-10, how good are the benefits here compared to other agencies?
- What benefits would you like have here?
- Are there any tools or resources you need to better do your job?
- On a scale of 1-10, how good of a job is your boss doing?
Click here to download a PDF of the checklist.
Conclusion
Open your calendar and pick two days of the year to survey your employees. Make sure it’s a fun relaxing day with no judgement. Remember, your job is to listen, not argue. Chances are, you’ve been talking all year. Just listen and hear what your employees have to say. That’s the key to happiness, and that’s the key to the growth of your agency. Good luck.