By Jane Wesman, president of Jane Wesman Public Relations, Inc., and author of Dive Right In—The Sharks Won’t Bite.

Does this scenario seem familiar to you? You have a terrific job opening. You interview a dozen candidates and hire the person whom you think is going to be perfect. But after just a few months or perhaps a year, your employee becomes sullen and unproductive—and either quits or is asked to leave. And the hiring cycle begins again.

What’s the secret to retaining staff when you’re a small business that doesn’t have the luxury of a big HR department or hefty corporate perks?