Job hopping has become the norm, and loyalty to one company for the entirety of your career is rare. So how do CEO’s stay on top of the game and maintain strong relationships with their employees throughout the dynamics of employees coming and going? Ellen Galinsky, co-founder of the Families and Work Institute (FWI) in New York City, contributed to the January 2016 edition of HR Magazine to weigh in on this heavy topic. Here are her four suggestions for how leaders can stay in control of relationship management in the workplace.

1. Flexibility is no longer a perk, it’s something today’s workers need. According to data from a survey conducted by FWI in New York City, 88% of employees rate flexibility as extremely or very important when considering a job offer. That’s huge! Companies are listening, as we saw with Netflix’s announcement in 2015 that they would now offer one year of paid parental leave (the most generous parental leave policy in the U.S.) Companies such as mobile telecom company Vodafone report increased engagement amongst employees and higher quality of applicants interested in the company.
2. Flexibility is not just a “check the box” situation, it requires an entire culture shift within the organization in order to be effective and attractive to employees and potential candidates. Managers and HR leaders must actively support flexible solutions in order for employees to respond accordingly.
3. Flexibility is just one piece of the puzzle. To create a truly effective workplace, there are several other factors such as independence, opportunities for learning, and a culture of trust to name a few. Leaders need to work to provide the entire picture rather than just pieces of the puzzle.
4. All employees need real choices. The opportunity to decide how long to take for parental leave, rather than being forced to return too soon, is a huge issue. Another is the flexible work options, opportunity for continued learning. There are so many factors that play into employee engagement, employee success, and employee satisfaction. Leaders are in place in order to determine what works for their organization and what will attract the star employees to work for them.

Thought leaders such as Ms. Galinsky force leaders to take a hard look at the landscape of their organizational development, leadership training tools, and strategic plans for employee retention and talent solutions. By looking at the workplace dynamics as a whole first and then analyzing the success of each piece, effective and efficient changes can be made for the benefit of the organization as well as the employees.