Keeping hold of good employees is linked to their job satisfaction. Good employment relations, working procedures and policies all helps with this.

For example, whether your employees have a chance to learn and develop, whether there is childcare provision and your employees’ work-life balance, can all affect their job satisfaction. Having an employment policy on each of these areas will help you keep hold of good employees.

Guidance on employment policies
Business Link provides some helpful tools for employers to use when setting up employment policies.

Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) is an organisation that provides guidance and training for employers and employees to improve working life, employment relations and business performance.

Acas has an A-Z of Work directory that contains a helpful list of employment-related topics for businesses to consider when drawing up their employment policies and procedures.

You can download a free copy of Acas’ Model Workplace. This provides employers with guidance on how to establish good working relations with their employees.

Learning and development opportunities for employees
Investors in People helps organisations improve their performance by linking the training and development of their employees to business objectives. Employee benefits include better motivation, more involvement and commitment, greater job satisfaction and increased morale.

You can find out about Investors in People at: www.iipuk.co.uk

Train to Gain Skills Brokers provide a free and impartial assessment to identify what skills you or your employees need to develop in order to meet your business requirements. They can also help you design whole development programmes.

Skills Brokers can also help you arrange necessary training and will ensure you get the best value for money.

Skills Brokers operate regionally throughout England. To be put in touch with a Skills Broker in your region, phone 08000 15 55 45.

The Train to Gain website also provides contact information for Skills Brokers.

Employee motivation
The Business Link website shows ways to help with employee motivation.

Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) offers a range of free e-learning (online) courses for employers on issues related to staff management. Their regional offices operate throughout the UK, excluding Northern Ireland.

You can find out about training available in your region at: www.acas.org.uk/emsobs/acas_events_new.asp.

You can register for a free e-learning course online at: www.acas.org.uk/elearning/index.asp.

Alternatively, telephone the Acas helpline on 08457 47 47 47.

It is important that your employees are able to balance their out-of-work responsibilities with their job. Your policy on working time, as well as the provision of services such as childcare, offers ways to structure this balance.

The Investors in People Work-life Balance Model brings together the best ideas to help employers with this. An effective work-life balance can improve loyalty and job satisfaction and reduce staff turnover and absenteeism.

You can find out about Investors in People at: www.iipuk.co.uk

Business Link’s tool, Meet the Need for Work-Life Balance, provides a guide to employers on how to ensure a better work-life balance for their employees.

ou can download a free copy of Acas’ Model Workplace, which provides employers with guidance on how to establish good employee relations.

Employers need to ensure that they are getting a return for their investment in employee training by keeping hold of trained employees and maintaining the skills they’ve developed.

Business Link has guidance for employers on controlling staff turnover and maintaining employee skills.