In markets across the world, many talent-acquisition and HR professionals have reported a tremendous rise in talent resigning from their roles, and an increase in difficulty replacing them. Organizations are currently struggling to tackle this problem— dubbed the Great Resignation — and many will continue to struggle because they do not fully understand the reasons why employees are leaving. Instead of trying to understand the root causes of attrition, organizations allocate their resources to quick fixes for example, by offering financial rewards or thank-you bonuses rather than strengthening the relationships between employees and employers. This short-term thinking can lead employees to believe their relationship to work is transactional rather than feeling appreciated for their determination and challenging work.
How do organizations tackle these issues? How do they address the needs of their employees? And how can employers boost employee morale and make employees feel valued?
7 tips to Increase Flexibility, Trust, and Social Connections
1. Conduct and evaluate an anonymous employee satisfaction and needs survey. Focus on the topic “Future of Work” and probe what has changed in the eyes of your employees. Give them the chance to openly state if they are not satisfied with the back-to-office strategy, then adapt to their demands as much as possible. The goal is to understand the current mindset and feelings of your employees and counterattack a resignation due to unfulfilled expectations.
2. Introduce and promote interdepartmental collaboration where it fits. This not only allows you to temporarily fill skill gaps in each department, but it also opens the opportunity for interested employees to dive into other work areas inside the organization and improve their skills and knowledge.
3. Allow employees to design the new normal, or the Future of Work. Going back to the office will never be the same — and in the meantime, various industries have already introduced numerous ways of working smart. Have a conversation with your employees and listen to their thoughts and feelings.
4. Plan social activities within the organization. With less daily gathering in the office, social interaction is more important than ever before – especially in terms of belonging and identification with other colleagues. Company culture is shared by employees only if they spend time together. Try to be creative and organize various events during the year to connect people inside the organization.
5. Emphasize the importance of employee engagement to build positive employee experience and foster a healthy culture. This can help employees become more dedicated to organizational goals and values. It can also lead to improved loyalty, increased productivity, better customer support, higher employee satisfaction, stronger brand advocacy, speedier adoption of new business initiatives, and increased profit.
6. Enable more transparency and trust by increasing internal communication and collaboration. Provide continuous updates about business situations and the challenges the organization is facing. Let employees express their enthusiasm, reward relevant actions (don’t overdo it), and measure engagement on a frequent basis.
7. Get ahead and adapt to new challenges coming from internal and external sources by listening to insights and out-of-the box ideas. Assess insights and acknowledge the skills you need to start building and attracting today to be resilient and prepared for the future. Be agile and receptive to change within your work force. Addressing the demand for a different type of skillset is beneficial sooner rather than later.
While the great resignation persists and appears to carry momentum into the start of 2023, there are things that can be done to prevent it from taking over and impacting your company. Although the above list focuses on building flexibility, trust, and social connections, our eBook ‘30 ways to act upon the Great Resignation’ focuses on other key areas such as hiring talent even amidst a lack of applications, conducting an organizational self-check, where to maintain your focus, and more! Download today to learn more about how to win the fight against the Great Resignation!
