Employee retention is an ongoing challenge for many organizations. With hybrid and remote work becoming more mainstream in recent years, employers have to work hard at engaging employees and enticing them to stay.
From opening up a genuine, two-way dialogue with employees and offering employee development opportunities to expanding benefits, there are a number of ways for leaders to reduce turnover and ensure employees feel satisfied within their current organization. Below, 20 Forbes Business Council members share additional best practices more companies should consider adopting in 2025 if they want to retain top talent.
1. Ensure Goals Are Aligned
Take time with your team to make sure goals are aligned. This means meeting team and individual needs to achieve company and program goals. At EveryCat Health Foundation, the entire team sits down each year for a strategy session to align our program and personal calendars with strategic plans. This exercise helps our remote team work cohesively and swiftly throughout the year. – Jackie (Ott) Jaakola, EveryCat Health Foundation
2. Build A Supportive Work Environment
In 2025, companies should focus on creating an environment where psychological safety, clear expectations and open communication are priorities. When people feel safe speaking up, know what’s expected of them and trust their leaders, they’re more likely to stay. It’s about building a culture where employees feel supported and motivated to do their best, and that starts with great leadership. – Maren Perry, Arden Coaching
3. Revamp Employee Recognition And Engagement Programs
In 2025, many businesses need to change poorly executed employee recognition and engagement programs. These are among the greatest contributors to workplace apathy and attrition. Sweeping changes are needed, and businesses need to more thoughtfully invest in their people and relationships. No matter your industry, your employees are your greatest asset—and they want to feel seen and heard. – Talbott Roche, Blackhawk Network
4. Implement Feedback Loops
In 2025, companies should prioritize the creation of a culture of radical candor through regular, open feedback loops. Like a house of cards, policies alone are fragile without strong cultural foundations. Great companies are built on a consistent effort to foster trust and transparency. Honest, constructive conversations empower growth, deepen connections and create an environment where top talent thrives. – Jon Osterburg, Jitasa
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5. Listen
We recently supplemented our usual annual survey with live focus groups attended by senior leadership. This gave us the full texture of what motivated (or demotivated) employees. We then immediately put their recommendations into practice to demonstrate we heard them. – Rob Davis, NOVUS
6. Practice What You Preach
We often set standards for our team members to uphold, but I believe nothing motivates teams more than seeing leaders’ dedication to the cause, clear action and demonstration of these standards at all levels of the company. By leading with integrity and a desire to “walk the walk,” leaders inspire others to push their own best potential to the limit. – Christine S. Ghilain, Brain Health Neuropsychology & Brain Health Consulting
7. Showcase Vulnerability
I used to think leaders were supposed to be strong and show no weakness. That was my style when I was younger, but I now realize that showing a little vulnerability actually helps others relate to you better, especially if you are asking them to do something difficult. It does not mean you always show weakness; just use it occasionally as a tool to motivate people. – Zain Jaffer, Zain Ventures
8. Ensure Employees Are Receiving The Same Perks And Support
Check whether all your employees, remote and onsite, are getting the same perks and support. You may be surprised to find out your policies don’t ensure fairness for everyone. It’s not just about equity–you simply can’t build loyalty if you don’t show care for your workers’ well-being. – Rytis Lauris, Omnisend
9. Invest In Employee Development
Investing in employee growth drives retention. Create clear career paths and conduct quarterly reviews to discuss goals, wins and growth areas. Support individual aspirations by aligning them with long-term company goals. Recognize and celebrate contributions, showing how their work fits into the bigger vision. When employees feel valued and see their impact, engagement and loyalty soar. – Mike Vietri, AmeriLife
10. Ensure Managers Are Up To Par
A well-trained, empathetic and supportive manager has a far-reaching impact on the employee experience. People stay in jobs because their boss knows how to listen, give them what they need and create an environment where they can grow and thrive. Companies that want to retain top talent should ensure their managers are prepared to lead and foster healthy workplaces. – Tim Pratte, Selerix Systems
11. Create Detailed Promotion Frameworks
Forget pizza parties—top talent want a career “GPS” in 2025. Smart companies are creating detailed promotion frameworks that work like video game skill trees, enabling employees to master specific abilities and unlock the next levels. It’s fair, transparent and gives ambitious staff exactly what they crave: a clear path to level up their careers. – Benny Porat, Twine Security
12. Facilitate Team-Building Activities
Create team-building opportunities to foster trust, respect and camaraderie among employees. When people like and trust their colleagues, they’re more likely to support one another during challenges. Strong relationships turn obstacles into opportunities for collaboration, keeping your team united and resilient under pressure. – Leeatt Rothschild, Packed with Purpose
13. Acknowledge And Reward Employee Contributions
In a time when employees are feeling detached from their work, companies should reward and recognize employees at all levels. Be transparent about how they directly contribute to the company’s success. This contributes to retention, keeping employees engaged and increasing satisfaction. Be sure rewards reflect your workplace culture, as well as the personal needs and interests of employees. – Todd Villeneuve, IFC National Marketing
14. Embrace Flexible Work Policies
If companies want to keep top talent in 2025, they need to embrace flexible work policies. Let people work remotely, adjust hours or create hybrid setups. It’s about trusting your team and letting them balance work with life. When employees feel trusted and supported, they’re more likely to stick around and do their best work. – Botir Nasridinov, Otips
15. Provide Personalized Book Recommendations
Something I do weekly for my team is offer personalized book recommendations. I sit down for an hour to review each team member’s performance, share gaps I see and send them a personal note with a link to the book added to our company Audible account. Not only do they feel seen but they also love to share what they’ve learned and how they’re implementing changes. – Kenda Laney, Laney Media
16. Offer Growth Opportunities
High performers want to do more than produce high-quality work; they want to collaborate with other inquisitive minds. Gracious professionalism is an ethos centered on innovation, teamwork and respect. By fostering healthy competition and excellence alongside mutual respect, workplaces can use gracious professionalism to help attract and retain top employees who value smart thinking, collaboration and cultures of integrity. – Chris Moore, FIRST
17. Support Work Experience Sabbaticals
More companies should support work experience sabbaticals. Invest in the idea that someone can go to another company or industry and learn a new skill, area or experience without leaving the company. This will allow top talent to grow, bringing back new skills and fresh energy. – Kate Woodyatt Hudson, WH Communications Ltd
18. Implement An AI Training Program
In order to attract and retain top talent, companies need to train their employees on AI–what it is, what it isn’t, how to use it effectively, as well as how to use it responsibly and ethically. This training needs to be intensive, hands-on and practical. It also needs to cut through all the fear and marketing hype. AI should be a useful tool rather than a fad or buzzword. – Ben Jones, Data Literacy
19. Enable Profit- And Culture-Sharing
Profit-sharing turns a company’s success into a shared achievement, aligning talent interest with an organization’s long-term goals. It also offers a transparent correlation between talent contributions and company success. Culture-sharing is equally important in an environment where talent is valued. Talent should not just buy into company culture but also help build it. – Selina Rashid Khan, Lotus Client Management & Public Relations
20. Develop Top Talent As Leaders
Companies need to empower and cultivate their top talent as leaders. Focusing on leadership and development not only helps them become even better, it also helps your whole team become better. As leaders ourselves, it should always be the goal to put people in place who are better at what they do than we are. We need to cultivate more of that type of thinking to build better businesses. – Melissa Johnson, E3 Coaching LLC
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