Something unexpected is happening in the workforce. People who were furloughed during the pandemic aren’t returning to work as expected. Employers are losing workers at a high rate, and employees indicate plans to leave their jobs in the next year. Experts have labeled this The Great Resignation. It’s something that employers should be prepared to deal with.
Understand the Reasons Behind the Workforce Exodus
Why are people leaving jobs and refusing to return to work? The truth is this is a complicated situation, and it can’t be explained in a single sound bite. In order to be prepared for this phenomenon, to re-engage employees and maintain your workforce, and to maybe use this as a recruiting opportunity, you must understand what’s going on. More to the point, you need to know how your work culture could be working for or against you right now.
Some of the key reasons behind The Great Resignation include:
- Employees want to continue working remotely but don’t have that option
- A younger generation is entering the workforce
- The economic crisis created by the pandemic
- Changing views on work and employee loyalty
- Unease about returning to work due to the Delta variant
- Struggles finding childcare
Knowing these things can help you take an objective look at your current company culture and identify where your challenges may be.
Of course, you can also gain insights from your employees. Consider creating exit interviews that consider these issues and use them for workers who do quit. There are also tools for collecting feedback from both new and experienced employees.
Make Management Better
Employees called back to work have to make some significant adjustments. Some may look forward to returning to the office and connecting with their coworkers. For others, not so much. Now, imagine returning to the office to work under a front-line manager who is toxic, incompetent, or unappreciative.
Remember, most people don’t leave jobs. They leave managers. Now more than ever, if people don’t trust or like their managers, it’s going to be challenging to hold onto them. Learn who has a management style that could be improved, then help them with that.
Continue Offering Flexibility
Workers have now learned that many jobs can be done remotely. When they are asked to return to work, they’re going to question the reasoning behind that. If you aren’t prepared to offer remote work or other flexibility options, you should be prepared to provide a clear argument as to why that is.
Even if you do allow employees to work remotely, don’t ignore the needs of your team. Remote work can encourage overwork and loss of perspective. Remind your out-of-the-office teams to take care of themselves and take time off as needed.
Attract the Right People
It may be inevitable that you lose some staff members during all of this. The truth is that many people have spent the past months reconsidering priorities, taking advantage of opportunities to develop skills, and evolving their view of work and relationships with their employer. It doesn’t reflect poorly that some will simply pursue other opportunities. In fact, The Great Resignation can allow employers to reach out to candidates who have the potential to be great hires.
Your first move should be to create a great candidate experience. Streamline the application process, and offer applicants multiple communications channels.
Speaking of communication, stay in touch with applicants throughout the process. Provide them with clear deadlines so that they don’t feel ignored or disengaged.
When you write job listings and engage with applicants, remember how the past year and a half may have impacted their preferences and needs. Emphasize your company culture as welcoming and comfortable. Draw attention to the perks you can use to attract candidates, such as flexibility, opportunities for advancement, and a commitment to a safe and healthy work environment.
Many companies are finding success in focusing on candidates who are likely to be a good organizational fit rather than recruiting candidates with the ideal technical skills or other competencies. It may be better to recruit and train a generalist than a specialist.
Reach Out to Freelancers
One thing that has been clear throughout the past year and a half is that freelancers have really thrived. They have been able to engage multiple clients to ensure cash flow and better adjust to the uncertainties of the current economy. If you struggle with your current workforce needs, consider using freelancers to fill in those labor gaps.
Get Workers Engaged Again
You can keep good employees by getting them re-engaged in the company mission and helping them feel good about their contributions. Communicate with employees to ensure that they know how the work they do benefits other team members and the organization as a whole. Use social media as an engagement tool to reach out to and communicate with existing employees about company initiatives in the community. Use internal recruiting efforts to educate workers on opportunities that may be available to them.
Take a Look at your Benefits
This is an excellent time to look at the benefits you were offering beyond salary and insurance. When you consider some of the driving factors behind The Great Resignation, you may address these by improving your benefits package. For example, by offering a daycare supplement, you may be able to remove this roadblock to returning to work for many of your team members. Adding tuition reimbursement can work to show that you are committed to the success of your team members in the long term.
