Q: How can I keep my employees happy and improve job retention?

A: Becoming a good boss takes hard work. The effort invested is much less costly than a chronic turnover problem. Here are a few management tips:
■  Communicate; in addition to communicating company information, it’s critical that you clearly communicate employee job duties and performance expectations. Listening to your employees’ wants, needs, and suggestions is equally important.
■  Trust and Respect; you have to earn trust and respect, the best way to accomplish that is to show trust and respect to your employees.
■  Care; it’s essential to support and value your staff as people. The work/life balance is difficult under the best of circumstances, but when an employee is dealing with personal situations they need to know you are an ally.
■  Reach out; share ideas with other managers and employees alike.