Employee Retention Strategies for New HR Professionals
Employee retention is a critical challenge for HR professionals in today’s competitive job market. This article presents proven strategies to help new HR professionals tackle this complex issue effectively. Drawing on insights from industry experts, these approaches offer practical solutions to boost employee satisfaction and reduce turnover.
- Manage Energy and Expectations
- Listen Actively to Build Trust
- Focus on Empathy and Culture-Building
- Understand Employee Needs Through Conversation
- Articulate Clear Mission and Impact
- Build Trust Through Regular Check-Ins
- Prioritize Smooth Onboarding Experience
- Foster Open Communication Channels
- Gather Diverse Perspectives Before Changes
- Act Visibly on Employee Feedback
- Empower Managers for Career Development
Manage Energy and Expectations
Manage your energy and expectations, in that order. Otherwise, you will be on a never-ending ride with others who struggle to manage one or both. By doing this, you can show up clear-headed and with the capacity to adapt reasonably.
Juan Kingsbury
Workplace Dynamics Expert, Career Blindspot
Listen Actively to Build Trust
If I could offer one piece of advice to a new HR professional focused on employee retention, it would be this: learn how to listen, not just how to respond.
Retention is not about keeping people in their seats. It is about creating a workplace they actually want to stay in. That starts with building relationships rooted in trust and curiosity. Ask people what they need, how they work best, what gets in their way, and what makes them feel valued. Then act on what you hear. Too many organizations ask for feedback and do nothing with it. That silence is where disengagement begins.
When I started out, I thought the key to retention was in the data. Now I know it is in the conversations. It is in the quiet moments when someone feels seen. It is in the policies that reflect real life, not just business goals. And it is in how consistently leadership follows through on what they say matters.
If you focus on anything, focus on creating safety. When employees feel safe to speak up, to grow, to fail, and to be themselves, they are far more likely to stay. Not because they have to, but because they want to. And that is the difference between managing a workforce and building a culture.
Alysha M. Campbell
Founder and CEO, CultureShift HR
Focus on Empathy and Culture-Building
For a new HR professional, my advice is to double down on the human side of HR—because AI cannot replicate that. Automation is rapidly advancing for administrative tasks such as screening, scheduling, and policy management. However, what AI cannot do is build trust, navigate nuance, or handle the complex, emotional reality of people in the workplace.
If you want to prioritize retention, focus on empathy, conflict resolution, and culture-building. These are the skills that make you irreplaceable. AI may manage workflows, but only you can manage a sense of belonging. Don’t compete with the robots. Be the part of HR they will never replace.
Temmo Kinoshita
Co-Founder, Lindenwood Marketing
Understand Employee Needs Through Conversation
Start by listening more than you speak. Seriously—when I was working with a fast-growing startup in Berlin, they had churn levels that made hiring feel like filling a leaky bucket. The new HR lead came in and wanted to fix it with tools, dashboards, and frameworks. But the real shift happened when she simply started holding weekly one-on-one chats with people, no agenda, just space to talk. She spotted patterns faster than any survey ever could.
The most important thing is to genuinely understand what your people need to feel seen, valued, and challenged—and those answers are almost never in a playbook. At Spectup, when we guide early-stage companies through team scaling, we emphasize that retention is not about perks or policy—it’s about trust, clarity, and consistent leadership. Build that foundation early, and you’ll avoid patching holes later. Everything else is secondary.
Niclas Schlopsna
Managing Consultant and CEO, spectup
Articulate Clear Mission and Impact
Today, more than ever, employees are seeking a sense of purpose and belonging. Therefore, it’s crucial for employers to have a clear strategy for outlining their mission, vision, and values from the outset. This should be evident not just from when an employee’s employment begins, but from the moment a candidate sees an employer’s job posting.
Employers should be able to clearly explain what they do and also articulate to candidates, employees, stakeholders, etc. (on an ongoing basis) the impact they are having on their customers, local community, society, and more. It’s also important for employers to explain how employees fit into that picture and what particular impact those roles have on the company’s goals.
Furthermore, it’s crucial to create a culture where employees feel they belong and can grow. It’s imperative for employees to receive consistent feedback on how they are contributing and how they can continue to develop professionally. Employees should also feel that their feedback is being heard and that they are a valued part of the organization.
Creating a culture of collaboration, communication, and professional development is critical for a successful retention strategy.
Mayank Singh
Director of Human Resources, Coordinated Family Care
Build Trust Through Regular Check-Ins
We’ve learned one important lesson about retention: people don’t stay because of perks or extensive programs. They stay because they feel valued and supported every single day. For someone new in HR, I’d advise focusing on building trust early. That’s the foundation.
One thing that helps us is simple, honest conversations. We check in with our team members regularly, not to talk about work, but to understand what they care about, what’s frustrating them, and where they see themselves heading. These chats often reveal issues before they grow.
We also coach managers to be more present. Many employees don’t quit companies—they quit managers. When leaders take time to listen, give credit where it’s due, and show flexibility when people need it, it sends a strong signal that the company cares.
Here’s something I tell every HR professional: don’t assume you know what people want. Ask them directly. Keep it simple. Run short surveys or have coffee with team members to listen. Then follow through on what you hear. People notice when feedback leads to action.
Retention isn’t a one-time effort. It’s the result of consistent, thoughtful work that makes employees want to grow with you.
Vikrant Bhalodia
Head of Marketing & People Ops, WeblineIndia
Prioritize Smooth Onboarding Experience
For a new HR professional focused on employee retention, one of the most important things to understand is that retention starts on day one—with onboarding. The first impression a company makes sets the tone for how valued, supported, and prepared an employee feels from the beginning.
One key piece of advice: prioritize a smooth, organized onboarding experience by leveraging data integration. When systems like applicant tracking, payroll, and benefits connect, new hire information flows automatically. This eliminates the need for manual data entry, delays, or missing setup steps that can frustrate new employees.
A seamless onboarding process shows new hires that the company runs efficiently and cares about their experience. That sense of confidence and clarity creates a stronger connection early on—and that connection plays a big role in whether they choose to stay. Focus on making the first days easy, clear, and welcoming, and you’ll build the foundation for long-term retention.
Yan Courtois
CEO, Flexspring
Foster Open Communication Channels
The HR beginner should remember that the most important thing to focus on is building genuine employee relationships through channels of frequent open communication. If you get your employees to feel heard, valued, and understood, then they will be much more likely to stay, even during tough times. Putting regular check-ins, feedback loops, and open chats at the forefront makes people trust you and allows you to address small problems before they become exit drivers.
George Fironov
Co-Founder & CEO, Talmatic
Gather Diverse Perspectives Before Changes
In my first full-time job as a Senior HR Coordinator, I was eager and optimistic…and I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I wanted to make ALL the changes to improve processes and culture ASAP. But I lacked one critical piece: perspective. I didn’t slow down enough to ask how a small edit to digital file names, for example, could negatively impact another department’s team members who referred to a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) with now outdated instructions.
Emerging HR professionals, if you’re reading this, I bet you’re eager to improve your workplace, too. If employee retention is on your list, start by considering what perspectives you are missing. What are the potential ripple effects? Let’s say you plan to improve onboarding by adding personal touchpoints between a new hire and each department leader. That will enhance the new hire experience, and likely trickle down to increase new hire retention, but what about the department leader? How might an already overloaded manager feel when they see more meetings added to their calendar? An initiative to reduce turnover in one area could negate efforts in another, unless we intentionally gather the perspectives of those impacted.
One more thing. Don’t believe anyone who says YOUR fresh perspective is not valuable – it can be your superpower. Your views could cause the organization to fix something they never thought was broken, but only if you share them in the right way, at the right time, with the right people. It will take time and lots of question-asking to learn what is “just right” on your new team. Stay patient and continue to pursue perspectives!
Alayna Thomas, MS, SHRM-SCP
Retention Strategist, Magnet Culture
Act Visibly on Employee Feedback
When I started in HR, I set up a simple monthly “pulse check” during our safety briefings where one technician would share a recent win and one frustration point. Hearing concerns in the moment—and then addressing even small fixes (like tweaking our break schedules or swapping out a clunky tool)—showed the team I wasn’t just collecting complaints but genuinely invested in improvements.
The single most important thing to focus on is closing the feedback loop: make it your mission not just to gather input, but to act on it visibly and quickly. When employees see their suggestions turn into changes—no matter how small—they feel heard, trust grows, and they stick around.
Joel Miller
President, Miller Pest & Termite
Empower Managers for Career Development
I’d advise a new HR professional to focus their energy on training and empowering line managers to have regular, meaningful career development one-on-ones. These conversations signal to employees that you’re invested in their growth, and they’re the single most significant driver of retention.
Early in my first HR role, I introduced a simple “Career Passport” template for managers to use during 30-day, 90-day, and 180-day check-ins, covering wins, obstacles, and progress toward goals. Within six months, our voluntary turnover in that department dropped by half, and I watched as people stayed—and even referred friends—because they saw a clear path forward.
Samantha Stuart
Co-Founder, Magic City Pest Control