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Tip: In today's tight labor market, you've got to do everything you can to keep your employees. In order to lower your turnover rate, you need to think of long-term solutions, not quick fixes. What will make your employees want to stay with you year after year? Good pay, paid holidays and long lunches are nice perks, but in the long run, the key to keeping your associates is offering opportunities for advancement. Is your company a good place to climb the ladder? If not, your employees will go elsewhere.

You know how hard it is to find good employees. You also know that keeping them can be even harder. Why do some companies seem to have loyal associates that stay with them year after year? The answer may lie in the attitude of management.

The landscape design/build company Drake's 7 Dees is one of those companies with an enviously low turnover rate. From management to labor, the average length of employment at the company is seven years. Drake's 7 Dees is located in Portland, Oregon, a competitive market where it's hard to find enough good employees. "It's pretty common for people to steal employees," says Trey Beneville, the company's Design Department Manager, who's proud of the company's loyal employees. He chalks it up to a management philosophy that centers on respect. In addition to a solid base of good employee benefits, fair wage and year-round work, the company offers its associates as many opportunities to advance their careers as possible. "We really give them the ability to move up the ladder and improve their skills," says Beneville.

For example, the company offers English classes for those not fluent in the language. This not only improves communication; it shows the employees that the company is interested in improving their lives and their careers. From there, employees are trained with the skills they need to be successful members of the team and for promotions.

Beneville also points to the opportunity for laborers to have work all year round. In addition to the design/build business, Drake's 7 Dees operates a garden center and sells Christmas trees. Beneville says that many of the company's employees travel to Mexico in the winter, yet their jobs are secure for when they come back.

"It all comes down to making our employees feel like there is the opportunity for growth," says Beneville.

Is your company a place where everyone feels like they've got room to grow? If you tend to automatically look outside your workforce when recruiting managers, you may be overlooking a qualified group of applicants - your own employees. Lower your turnover rate by investing in your associates.