HUMAN RESOURCES
THE GREAT RESIGNATION The Great Reimagination, The Great Reset, The Great Realization, The Great Attrition. All terms inspired by The Great Resignation. What is The Great Resignation about? Some workplace experts refer to this as the Great SelfEvaluation. “The Great Resignation has been fueled by workers taking a step back to consider their work and demand more from their work,” said Matt Hoffman, head of talent at M13, a technology venture capital firm in New York City. The pandemic has led to record breaking numbers of people resigning from their jobs. It’s not necessarily about “quitting the job”, it’s the desire to have a better work and personal life balance, increased mobility, and coaching culture are just a few of the factors people are leaving. This is leaving companies to navigate the ripple effects of the pandemic and reevaluate how to retain talent. How to move forward is the common question employers have. Listen to your employees. Now more than ever employees are stretched. Frequent “check-ins” are more crucial than ever. Receiving direct input on what is working and what their struggles might be will go a long way. Addressing their concerns and collectively creating a plan of how to move forward will demonstrate they are valued. “Listening to their employees with empathy and creating a positive healthy work environment is key to success” – Soumyasanto Sen, People Conscience. Career paths and development opportunities. Employees want to be challenged by their work and provided with more opportunities and responsibilities. Given the plethora of job openings, employees are exploring their options, which can even mean a career change. The desire for stronger career trajectories is greater than ever.
Finding ways to invest in training and development, offering additional responsibilities or even a new role within the organization are great ways to reward and recognize people for their work. Remote work is the new norm. The pandemic has proven remote employees are no longer the exception. The desire to have this flexibility has become an expectation for many employees. Working remote comes with many perks such as nonexistent commute times, better work and personal life balance and lower operation costs. Remote work also comes with challenges where employees feel isolated or even lost and less productive. To ensure that remote work is successful, consider these strategies. Outline the remote work expectations early on and often evaluating their needs. Organized and thoughtful meetings and ongoing communication methods are now more important than ever. Cultivate a coaching culture to ensure the needs of both the employer and employee are being met. This will build trust, motivate teams, maintain connections as if employees were still in-person. Transactional or relational? Increasing an employee’s compensation does not always fix the problem. Transactional does work temporarily but isn’t ideal for performance. It leaves employees with the feeling their needs are not being met or understood and diminishes morale overtime. Your top employees can always receive a better paycheck elsewhere. By better understanding an employee’s needs and investing in their success, you will slowly turn resignation into retention. While employees are taking the time to re-evaluate their priorities, employers should also do the same. Taking a step back to re-evaluate, listen and put forth what your employees want could be the best way to combat the Great Resignation.
> Diana Banaszynski Events & Education Coordinator, IIAW
wisconsin INDEPENDENT AGENT
| APRIL 2022 | 29
