Like many employers, you may have said something like this during the coronavirus lockdowns: “When the pandemic comes to a close, and the economy recovers, people will be grateful to get back to work. Those who remained employed will be glad they’re still employed, eager to return to their offices, restaurants, factories, stores, and warehouses.”
If that’s what you believed about the post-pandemic economic recovery, you are not alone. Unfortunately, the past few months have proven that this assumption was quite inaccurate. Instead, people are leaving jobs in record numbers or simply refusing to return to the jobs from which they’d been laid off.
That has led to a labor shortage. Now, there has been no lack of social media speculation or complaining about the causes of the labor shortage.
What does this mean for you? You need real solutions to help you hang onto your staff during The Great Resignation.
Use a Level Approach to Bringing Workers Back on Site
There’s a good chance that members of your team have a range of feelings about returning to the office. Some may be eager to return to the normalcy of the workplace and feel as though they are most productive there.
If you’ve had to lay off employees whose jobs can’t be done remotely, they may be looking forward to returning, as well. Others might be hesitant to return. They may fear COVID-19 exposure or simply be unwilling to give up the flexibility of working from home.
At this point, rather than bringing everyone back, it’s probably a good idea to take a phased approach. Focus on those who 1) volunteered to return or 2) simply need to be onsite to do their jobs.
During this first phase, you can:
- Put new health protocols to the test
- Get helpful feedback from returning workers
- Create new policies for navigating the return to work
- Plan for future phases
If you take this approach, you’ll be better able to create a safe environment that works for returning workers. Then, by collecting employee feedback, you can identify what is working and what isn’t and use that information to plan your next steps.
Provide a Clear Definition of Flexible Work
Flexibility has emerged as a critical issue in the current labor shortage. Many workers are unwilling to give up their work-from-home freedom and will leave companies that retire the option to stay remote.
For most companies, this means that a good retention strategy will include offering the ability to work remotely or giving workers flex options.
At the same time, everyone needs to be on the same page regarding the definition of “flexible work.” Does this mean that anyone who wants to work remotely can do so? Will people be expected to come into the office on alternating days?
It’s okay to create parameters that work for your company, but you must communicate them clearly.
Be careful about establishing these policies at the highest organizational level. What may appear to be great policy from the view of the C-suite may not work for every team or department. It may help to empower department leaders to set their own policies on this issue instead.
Track Employee Sentiment and Other Data
Is your current plan to retain employees during The Great Resignation working? The only way to know for sure is to look at the data.
Your focus areas should be retention and employee sentiment. That information will best indicate whether your approach is working or not.
Are you happy with your current retention rates? Do your employees indicate that you are doing everything you can to keep them? If not, it’s time to rethink your approach.
Reach Out to Employees for Feedback
It should be clear at this point that you need to collect, value, and act on employee input during this process. However, this only works if you can get meaningful feedback in the first place.
Don’t assume that your team members will come to you with their thoughts or concerns. Instead, you’ll need to get them to share.
Here are some ways to make this happen:
- Use surveys, polls, and other instruments
- Include employees in strategy meetings about reopening protocols
- Seek out employee reviews online
- Schedule one-on-one sessions to encourage open dialogue
Remember that your reputation doesn’t just impact retention; it may also affect your ability to recruit new talent in the future.
Make Employee Wellbeing a Priority
Many factors are driving The Great Resignation. Health and safety concerns are among the most pressing. Many people simply aren’t willing to work in places where they feel there aren’t adequate policies and procedures to mitigate COVID-19 risk.
You might also have team members who have experienced a great deal of stress, isolation, financial uncertainty, or even the death or illness of loved ones in recent seasons.
By taking action to ensure their wellbeing, you are more likely to retain good employees. Even better, your employer brand will be stronger when you become known as a company that prioritizes its workers.
There are several steps you can take to prioritize health and wellness. These include:
- Arranging office space to ensure proper distancing
- Mandating or incentivizing vaccinations
- Offering remote work or alternating schedules
- Educating workers about mental health
- Publishing safety and sanitation procedures
With a bit of effort, team members will feel safer and will thus be less likely to seek out employment elsewhere.
Think Beyond COVID-19
You definitely need to address COVID-19 concerns to retain employees. However, that can’t be your only focus. Workers have had more than a year to reconsider their priorities. They’ve spent more time with families, pursued new hobbies, and taken classes. Some will still return to work gratefully, but others have new expectations.
Now is the time to review your compensation structure, company culture, and branding efforts to see any changes you need to make. You’ll be glad that you did!
