There are many problems in the working world, problems that are seen throughout industries, throughout offices, and with a large variety of employees. For one thing, many employees feel that they are not encouraged as they should be, not prompted or pushed in really any way to do their best possible work. The data on the subject is clear about this, showing that more than three quarters of all employees feel this way, leaving only just one fifth of American employees feeling that their superiors are doing a good job of motivating them.

The fallout from this can be bad for company and employee alike. For one thing, a lack of encouragement in the workplace can all too easily lead to problems with apathy. And when employees feel apathetic about the work that they are doing, they are most certainly much less likely to put forth their best work or to even really put in that much effort at all. On top of this, employees are also much more likely to take a new job elsewhere, should the opportunity ever present itself. After all, issues with job retention are far too common all throughout the country. In fact, more than half of all millennial employees would leave their current job for a better one at the drop of a hat and in the June of 2015 alone, more than two and a half million people voluntarily quit their jobs. It’s clear that employee retention is an issues faced all throughout the workforce, but getting to the root of why and working to fix those issues can change the tide of it.

For one thing, even just instituting various employee recognition programs is likely to have a hugely positive impact on many a workplace. As a matter of fact, up to 86% of all companies that put such a program into place even saw a considerable increase in overall employee happiness, something that is likely to improve work performance as well as work productivity too. Therefore, even small changes can have big impacts – and can help to change the culture of the working world into one that is beneficial to just about everyone in it, from employee to superior to even customer (as customers of all kinds are likely to get better service from happier employees who care a lot more about the work that they are doing).

Utilizing a job placement agency is another thing that larger companies should consider, and the use of a job placement agency or similar company like an outplacement consulting firm is something that can help to circumvent another issue: hiring the wrong person for the job that is vacant. This is something that more than one third of all top executives have declared as one of the leading issues regarding job retention, and is something that the work of a job placement agency can help to avoid. When utilizing a job placement agency, much of the work of finding the right candidate will be erased, leaving only the strong contenders instead. A job placement agency, therefore, is likely to be more than worth the services that it can provide. And at the end of the day, the work of a job placement agency might cost up front, but will more than pay off down the line.

In addition to using the services of a job placement agency to find the right candidate in the first place, it will also be essential to have proper on boarding procedures for said candidate once they are hired. Unfortunately, far too many companies neglect to consider the impact of a poor on boarding experience – or the benefits of an extensive and well thought out one. But when a good deal of time and effort is made to on board a new employee as successfully as possible, they are much more likely to stay with the company for at least a few years. At the end of the day, therefore, taking more time up front is again going to be very much worth it.