Always tell your employee what you expect of him or her. Satisfied employees know what their managers want them to do each and every workday. Changing expectations creates insecurity, stress and breeds poor retention levels. If priorities change, talk with your employees and renegotiate your mutual expectations.

Employees walk away from managers and supervisors more often than their jobs or their companies. You are the single most important factor in building, motivating and retaining a highly skilled, professional workforce. Maintain a supportive, creative, and informal atmosphere where you encourage communication, contribution, casual dress, and a fun place to work.

Provide your contributors with a level playing field of competitive benefits, pay, and growth potential.  Employees should receive comparable compensation packages including base salary, incentives, stock, and benefits, which are transparent, competitive and equitable. Always communicate clearly what your employees can expect for compensation and benefits.

Give your direct reports honest feedback about their performance and praise them for good work. Employees should regularly receive non-monetary recognition for work and acknowledgement for their contributions through posted achievement boards, senior management visibility, external/technical community recognition, and company awards. A good manager shows the team’s appreciation for a good job with a sincere “thank you” or a short note.

Provide your workers with effective opportunities to speak freely within the organization. Give them a platform to express their thoughts about changing, innovating and improving your products and services. Encourage your reports to discuss their goals and aspirations. Provide career workshops and web-based assessments to employees.

Make sure your reports know that their jobs within the organization are important. Employees should know exactly how they contribute and bring value to the overall organization. Help your people see how their aspirations, talent, goals and passion are in “sync” with the mission, goals and strategies of the organization. Provide your employees with time to work on projects that interest them and that benefit the organization and the community. Always keep your employees aware of and deeply immersed in the mission, vision, and strategies of the organization – keeping them abreast of changing organizational priorities and requirements and how those will impact them.

Encourage your employees to lead a balanced work and personal life and assist them with flexible processes and resources such as telecommuting, alternative work schedules, and child and elder care.

Accelerate learning by connecting your reports to mentors, projects, and learning opportunities to help them achieve their goals and support long-term organization strategies.

Give your employees time to attend classes, tuition aid, access to on-line courses, and on-the-job learning. You should provide employees with on-going mentoring to foster growth and development. Your employees should be encouraged to continue learning and working on projects that build mastery and marketability.

Make all opportunities for advancement and mobility readily available to your employees, including all of the experience and educational prerequisites to achieve your employees’ aspirations and organizational goals. The process should be transparent. Advocate that the company aggressively support advancement and mobility within the organization.