The global pandemic of 2020 has made people look at life differently. Since the world was under self-imposed lockdown, employees spent more time with their families, which helped them reassess their life goals. The world has moved on since then, and we are witnessing a new kind of ’employee’ who recognizes their value in their company.
However, we are also witnessing a negative side-effect of the changes. Some employees have reorganized their priorities because of observing the uncertainty of life too closely. They wish to follow their passion, which may or may not involve working for corporates.
Some want to take risks, learn new things, explore possibilities, and figure out what they want to do with their lives. There is a significant shift in perspective even for those who want to build a career in the same industry.
What is The Great Resignation?
All these issues and emotional or personal needs were always present; however, the employees have started acting on them recently. ‘The Great Resignation’ is the phenomenon where a massive number of employees leave their companies. It has impacted organizations significantly as they are losing their talented staff at every level, be it productivity, leadership, problem-solving, or creativity.
With ‘The Great Resignation’, employees are re-evaluating various aspects of their careers, such as job flexibility or benefits. Hence, employee turnover increases in every domain, leading to enormous company losses.
The HR department is also having difficulty choosing the right talent and providing competitive packages in the wake of massive resignations. Since prevention is better than cure, we will be discussing five effective ways to counter The Great Resignation in this blog:
Prioritize Employee Wellbeing
Most employees quit their jobs due to work-related burnout. Hence, employers should ensure they are not adding extra pressure by making people work extra. When there is more work than employees can handle, it affects their mental health and the quality of their output.
Lowered productivity would be detrimental to the image of your company overall. They may not complain openly, but they will surely start looking for new opportunities. Hence, setting practical expectations and keeping the feedback loop open is essential.
Additionally, it is not just the physical health that we should be concerned about but mental and emotional health also holds equal importance. The benefits that companies offer should be equally focused on both to ensure overall well-being.
Creating a culture where it is okay to discuss mental and physical health issues is essential. HRs should develop mental and emotional health guidance programs to help employees. When employees know they are valued and feel cared for, they will likely stay in the company longer.
Re-evaluate your Offerings
Salary is important; employees generally leave the organization because they feel underpaid. They want to get better pay and advance in their careers. Hence, one should develop a robust increment strategy keeping the employees in mind. The perks and benefits can be vital for employee retention too.
Employees nowadays focus more on additional benefits like child day care than free snacks in the office. So, you can also take the help of your HRMS system and implement a survey or ask those who want to leave the company what kind of offer can make them stay. It will help them understand that their company values their opinions, which could be an additional incentive to stay longer.
Improve Employee Experience
Employee experience is essential in retention and will help you tackle the great resignation. Interpersonal relationships with peers and managers matter a lot. The employees want to work in a friendly environment. It is good to have the values of the company and the employees aligned so they can feel better connected. It is imperative to create an environment where people can learn and experiment, as everyone wants to advance in their career by learning.
Every company has a different culture, and proper induction can help them understand what is expected. Supporting your employees with appropriate management sets the impression of the employer as an organized and caring organization. You can also arrange fun team-building activities so employees can build good relationships, which helps them coordinate.
It is ideal to set your expectations clearly and be unbiased when evaluating their work. You can also explain the reasons behind significant decisions through appropriate communication channels. Additionally, companies can deploy advanced HRMS systems with robust ESS Portal that enhance the employee experience to keep them engaged with their company.
Build Trust & Belonging
Since the remote and hybrid work culture is here to stay, employers should trust their employees to work without supervision. Micromanagement of remote staff shows that you do not trust them, and it becomes uncomfortable for the employee if it continues for an extended period.
Instead of having an hourly check on your employees, you should create a system where they get to know what is expected from them. For example, you can utilize an HRMS to let your employee fill their timesheets. It will avoid any need for supervision while also helping maintain staff productivity.
Offer Work Flexibility
Working from home has many advantages for the employees, as they can choose the time of day when they feel most productive to put their efforts into practice. It also decreases the time needed to work as they can do it according to their convenience. Additionally, it saves travel time, which can be used to fulfil personal responsibilities such as child care or care for older parents.
The employee needs less paid time off in this setting since, by making a few adjustments, they can do some of their personal work despite being sick. Hence, employees require flexibility nowadays and are likely to resign or start searching for another job if it is unavailable in your company. Flexibility is one of the major driving factors in the great resignation.
Instead of looking at it as a change, employers can see it as an opportunity. Most employees ask for hybrid structures to stay connected to their peers at the office when needed, along with a better work-life balance. Employers should understand that productivity is more important than the physical location of the employees. Additionally, timesheets and geolocation trackers would help ensure that your staff remain productive during work hours.
Summary
Many reasons are driving the great resignation, and companies need to make a few changes to counter that. Providing employees flexibility in work time and location will allow you to recruit good talent. You should avoid micromanagement and build a friendly work culture based on trust and good relationships.
Giving your staff multiple opportunities to grow and learn also shows that you care about them and their well-being. Additionally, you should reconsider the perks and redesign them according to employees’ desires. Implementing these strategies will help enhance your employer brand, attract better talent, and transform ‘The Great Resignation’ into ‘The Great Recruitment’ for your organization.
