The pandemic continues to have huge impact on your team, doesn’t it? With some employees refusing to come back to the office, expressing a form of ‘quiet quitting’, while others are joining the ‘great resignation’ wave, retention of talent and proprietary content has become paramount. Not surprisingly, in our role as a Human Resources partner, we have collected tremendous research into what makes a desirable employee feel connected to their job and committed to their employer.
Beyond protecting your investment in a valued employee, you might want to review how to increase their sense that the contribution they make, beyond performing well on their job, is fully known and appreciated.
According to a recent survey by Price Waterhouse Coopers, nearly a third of U.S. workers plan to look for a new job in the next six months. Senior executives – perhaps your own – are among the group most likely to leave, noting burnout, lack of work-life balance, and a desire for more flexibility cited as top reasons for the possible change.
Whichever reason is eating at your team, can it be prevented?
As you can see from the sample reasons coming out of the survey, cultural and values-based concerns are driving this desire for change. And, while it may take a while for your company policies or values norms to respond, a review of both can be critical to both protect your interests and ensure enhanced productivity.
Broadly speaking, the Great Resignation can be seen as a desire for an improved quality of life, however the departed employees may define that. Yet, that ‘improved quality of life’ often reflects a desire for more time to enjoy life, away from one’s job.
Time – the limited commodity that is the container for us all – has become a focal point for the employee seeking change, maybe the key employee you’d hate to lose. Time with family, time to pursue personal growth, time to expand one’s creative mind. All of which, by the way, benefit you, the employer, with refreshed thinking, new perspectives, solutions and initiatives.
Yet, for the employee who feels time is far too limited, a change from ‘employee’ to ‘employer’ might appear to be the answer. And, most likely, that’s not the choice you want them to make. More than losing a necessary employee, you might also lose the proprietary processes and creative insights that delivered your competitive advantage. And non-compete agreements are only as good as your desire to defend them in court.
What’s your alternative?
You may want to look at the full picture of what your company offers in the way of life enhancement environment for your employee. For example, can you offer an environment that includes:
- Faster promotion or opportunity
- Advancement of new skills
- Greater flexibility of experience, both in duration and definition
- Focus on the attractiveness of your complete offer, including culture and values
With the continued tight labor pool for a growing number of jobs, the enormous swirl of layoffs in certain sectors, and the growth of ‘quiet quitting’, you’ll want to keep the team that delivers on your vision of productivity; in fact, it’s your team that advances your vision for what your business can be. If it’s time to review the intangibles of your company, those desirable qualities that today’s restless employees seek, reach out to us for fresh ideas and their implementation.