{"id":13874,"date":"2023-03-21T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-21T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/?p=13874"},"modified":"2025-05-07T15:07:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T14:07:47","slug":"top-performing-employees-retain-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/top-performing-employees-retain-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Top performing employees: How your business can retain them"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tTop performing employees: How your business can retain them\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2023-03-21T10:00:00+00:00\">21 March, 2023<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"Top performing employees: How your business can retain them\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/top-performing-employees-retain-business\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/author\/asavinwattanajantra\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/Asavin-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Asavin\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/Asavin-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/Asavin-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/Asavin-810x810.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/Asavin.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Asavin Wattanajantra<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You love top performing employees because they improve and bring more value to your business than anybody else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">They have the skills to get things done, go above and beyond, taking the initiative, and you know you can count on them when the going gets tough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Your superstars can raise the bar, boosting the effectiveness of any team they are part of. They\u2019re the driving force of your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">And without them, you\u2019ll have a tougher time satisfying your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Because high performing employees are so good for your business, it\u2019s a wrench if they leave. You lose their productivity, and it costs lots of money to replace them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s always good business sense to keep your top performers; below, we talk about how to retain them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Here\u2019s what we cover in this article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#challenges\">Challenges of keeping top employees<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#why\">Why are people resigning?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#it\">Why it\u2019s important to incentivise and encourage your people<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#ways\">5 ways to keep top employees<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#invest\">Invest in your people systems \u2013 and your people<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-78bb5fd1-148d-455b-82f8-e8195a056d03\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-78bb5fd1-148d-455b-82f8-e8195a056d03\"\n\t>Download your free copy of How to attract, engage and keep great people to help you build your team so your business can thrive<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"challenges\">Challenges of keeping top employees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">So why is it challenging to keep your best people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Your top performing employees know their value and may be willing to test the waters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwc.com\/gx\/en\/issues\/workforce\/hopes-and-fears-2022.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PwC Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2022<\/a>, more than one-third of respondents planned to ask for a raise in the coming year, while one in five said they were extremely or very likely to switch employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s a double-edged sword.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If you give top performers added work and responsibilities without, for example, handing them an increase in pay that matches what they deserve, you\u2019re already fighting a losing battle in keeping them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Top performers are likely to know how valuable they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Their self-confidence and drive to grow and develop their careers will mean they may leave your organisation for one that gives them better pay and opportunities to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Top performing employees will see new opportunities, as competitors and other companies won\u2019t hesitate to poach them. Although job security is an influential factor, in-demand employees will still leave businesses that aren\u2019t doing their best to keep them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why\">Why are people resigning?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The Great Resignation, which describes a record number of people leaving their jobs since the coronavirus pandemic, has made it more challenging to keep people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">There are several factors at work in why people are leaving jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">However, it\u2019s worth noting that after long periods of working at home without adverse effects on productivity, many people have decided that a work-life balance has become more important than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">People have decided that no job is worth too much stress and burnout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">And they\u2019re voting with their feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"it\">Why it\u2019s important to incentivise and encourage your people<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">To keep your best talent and reduce staff turnover, you must keep people happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You need to work to understand employee needs and desires, giving them reasons to stay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The good news is that it\u2019s perfectly possible to motivate people to remain loyal and stay if you reward them well and provide a culture and vision that keeps them happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-78bb5fd1-148d-455b-82f8-e8195a056d03\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-78bb5fd1-148d-455b-82f8-e8195a056d03\"\n\t>Download your free copy of How to attract, engage and keep great people to help you build your team so your business can thrive<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ways\">5 ways to keep top employees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Give them what they deserve<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">There\u2019s no getting away from the fact that financial reward is vital in keeping your top performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If people are performing at a higher level than other employees, it\u2019s wise to consider offering them a fitting level of compensation. Pay increases and bonuses will always be significant in keeping productive employees happy and engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Also, keep an eye on what benefits you offer\u2014it could be the difference between keeping an employee and them heading for new pastures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Compare what you offer with your competitors\u2014it may be worth looking at their job postings to see what kind of perks they\u2019re offering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Keep them healthy and happy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You want employees to work hard, but you don\u2019t want to burn them out\u2014top performers will want a proper work-life balance. For some, it\u2019ll be more important than their level of salary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Have conversations with your employees about what you can do to make their jobs easier and keep them satisfied. This could include benefits such as childcare support, longer annual leave entitlement and more investment in development and skills training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Other popular ways to improve work-life balance and wellbeing include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Making some days meeting-free<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensuring all employees take their full holiday allocation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Encouraging staff to take proper breaks, and start and finish on time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As your business grows, don\u2019t forget how much employee happiness and wellbeing are affected by the tone and culture set by senior leaders\u2014give your people a shared purpose to keep them invested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Top performers are much more likely to enjoy their day-to-day work when teams are well resourced, given realistic objectives, and provided supportive managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It can be challenging for managers to ensure who they are managing is getting a healthy work-life balance, so make sure they get all the support they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Offer flexible ways of working<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Giving top performers a choice on how and where they work can be a critical factor in keeping them happy. Recently it was reported that a top artificial intelligence executive left Apple to join Google, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.co.uk\/business-strategy\/flexible-working\/367724\/apple-executive-rejoins-google-following-remote-work\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">over its return-to-work policy.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Cloud technology means (depending on your role) you can work from anywhere. The pandemic highlighted how productivity shouldn\u2019t be affected if you provide collaborative technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If your business is looking to keep top performers, you\u2019ll need to offer flexible ways of working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Build a culture of communication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You can track your high-flyers\u2019 performance but ensure you\u2019re doing this in an evidence-based analytical way rather than through instinct and observation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If you have people scaling the heights, you may want to offer them more work or responsibilities to keep them engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You need to make them feel wanted and that you\u2019re investing in them. Otherwise, it\u2019s easy to see their mind wandering to companies that match their needs more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s here that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/sage-business-cloud\/hr\/\">cloud HR software<\/a> can be useful, as you can use data to develop insights about people and their motivations, allowing you to match high performers to different roles that more match their skill set and ambitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In fact, performance management could be used to measure the success of high potential talent at your business, where you could use reliable, objective methods to track how well they\u2019re working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Think individual goals and targets, and feedback from both colleagues and managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Together with performance, keep an ongoing dialogue with your top performers with continuous conversations, rather than traditional annual performance reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Employees can provide feedback throughout the year, and when it comes to career development, you can check in on their goals and match them to better-fitting internal roles if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Offer development opportunities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Talk to your top performers about how they are progressing. How can you support them to be even better?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">What does each superstar look for from their short and long-term career? Are there internal opportunities for them in a dream position?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Offer them the career progression and opportunities they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Understanding the drive and ambition of your top performers will go a long way to giving them job fulfilment. You may want to train them for more senior positions, targeting specific levels and competencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You could send your top performers on internal and external training courses, providing them experience in different departments or job roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Areas of development you could look at include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>People management<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Influencing peers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Learning about the business<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building control systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building leadership skills<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dealing with challenging conditions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Negotiating, framing, and solving problems<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Managing former peers or supervisors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"invest\">Invest in your people systems \u2013 and your people<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You can keep your top performing employees if you succeed with short and long-term recruitment and retention strategies that meet your organisation\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Your overall business strategy acts as the basis of your people strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If you know the goals of your business and your financial position, you\u2019re in the position to invest in the people systems and technology that will provide the insight and data you\u2019ll need for today and your future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">How to attract, engage and keep great people<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Discover how to find and retain the best talent so your business can keep growing and thriving.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-78bb5fd1-148d-455b-82f8-e8195a056d03\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download your free guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1213042683-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1213042683-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-53abbdcc-410c-4c8c-bf97-ca5c6982eebd\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"999\" height=\"666\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/04\/z.5E3A0481_All-Uses.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/04\/z.5E3A0481_All-Uses.jpg 999w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You love top performing employees because they improve and bring more value to your business than anybody else. Here&#8217;s how to keep them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":356,"featured_media":8297,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[164],"tags":[119,120,133],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[204,327,205,230,328],"coauthors":[412],"class_list":["post-13874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-employee-engagement","tag-employee-retention","tag-hr-process","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Asavin Wattanajantra","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-88308806.jpg","imagine_tags":{"204":"HR and Payroll","327":"HR processes","205":"HR software","230":"Small business","328":"Top HR resources"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/356"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13874\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/8297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13874"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=13874"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=13874"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=13874"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=13874"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=13874"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=13874"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=13874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}