In organizational development and certain psychology and HR circles, they talk about job embeddedness. It’s an odd sounding term that simply refers to how attached an employee is to their job. The more embedded an employee is, the less likely they are to leave their job and the organization.

There are three main parts to job embeddedness:

• Fit – Job fit refers to whether or not an employee’s knowledge and skills match job demands and it also refers to the employee’s sense of belonging. Do they feel like they are a good fit for the job? A good fit for their team? And a good fit for the organization?
• Links – Links are strong positive connections with other employees. Has an employee developed positive ties with their team and other colleagues?
• Sacrifice – If an employee left the organization, would they be giving up things they value? These can be material or psychological costs. What would they sacrifice if they left? What’s the cost of leaving?

Job embeddedness is important because if you can increase an employee’s embeddedness, they are less likely to leave. Research has shown it increases retention as well as performance. Employees who feel they are a good fit have a sense of job security, feel like they belong, are more committed, and more motivated to do their job well.

Ways to Increase Embeddedness

There are several things you can do as a leader or manager to increase your employee’s sense of belonging and fit. The first starts with onboarding—the process you use to bring new employees into the company. Studies have consistently shown the first 90 days on the job to be critical in terms of whether or not an employee commits and makes the decision to stay for the long haul. Ensuring they have a positive first experience, receive adequate training, and get connected or embedded quickly makes a world of difference.

Another way to increase embeddedness it to take an active role in employee career planning. What training and development opportunities do employees on your team want and need? Spend time with them to work out a career plan within your organization and make it standard practice to promote from within.

Third, enhance work-life balance. This plays to the sacrifice component of job embeddedness. Provide employees with more control over how, when, and where they do their job. You may even want to consider implementing a results-only work environment (or ROWE) which will allow employees to more effectively manage their work and their life. With more control over their schedule, they can pursue interests outside of work as well. This raises the cost of leaving. They will be sacrificing a whole lot more than just a job if they leave. They’ll be giving up work-life balance, the freedom to pursue other interests, and control over their schedule. That’s a pretty significant sacrifice.

Finally, consider moving employees around within the organization if they don’t fit on their team. Perhaps you have an employee that hasn’t been able to form any positive links with their team; they don’t yet have a sense of belonging. If you shift them to another work group, they may feel a better fit and find colleagues with whom they have more similar and compatible personalities and skill sets. This can completely turn around a low performer and make them one of your star players.

If you’re interested in improving performance, productivity, and increasing retention, look at job embeddedness. Examining fit, links, and sacrifice can make a big difference in terms of whether an employee stays or goes.