The death knell has been rung. For companies, its utter carnage. One after another, a steady stream of employees are quitting their jobs. And this phenomenon is growing, it’s spreading across all corners of the globe. We even had to come up with a name – the Great Resignation – to describe this unprecedented wave of departures.
So, what does this mean for your company: do you feel sheltered from this phenomenon? Do you have the resources to face it head on? Here are three effective strategies built around employee engagement, to bring people into your company, of course, but above all to keep them there and ensure your organisation continues to thrive.
1. What is your company culture?
This is fundamental. Your company culture is the very essence of who you are. A little like if your company had a personality, or even its own DNA. Your company’s culture is based on the values which guide everyone’s behaviour, which influence their choices, which dictate the management style, and so on. A combination of both written and unwritten rules, the entire workforce ‘adheres’ to these codes, and they are happy to (or so we hope), as this is crucial…
So, every company has its own culture and related values. Equally, everyone has their own set of personal values. The equation is simple: the better the match between a company’s values and those upheld by employees, the better the chances of them being successful and developing a strong sense of commitment.
In concrete terms, your employees, or future candidates, will have the best odds of fitting in quickly since the environment will appeal to them. They will also be more likely to form strong bonds with their colleagues as they will all share the same outlook on things. Decisions made by management will make sense for them given that they share the same values and supporting these choices will come naturally. In the end, your employees will have no trouble finding their place and becoming fully invested – it will practically be a matter of course.
2. What do your employees need?
The pandemic has shown us just how valuable each of our employees are and has reinstated the importance of the term ‘human resources’. From now on, if we want this resource to be useful, efficient, and productive, we need to adopt a more humane approach. In other words, to secure motivated and committed employees, you need to be aware of their needs and know how to cater to them. Otherwise, you risk generating tension, frustration, despondency and… departures.
By evaluating people’s sources of motivation, we can shed light on the basic needs they are looking to fulfil. This is an excellent starting point, and you can even take it a step further. Certain evaluations provide a valuable insight into not only what a person’s needs are, but also if these needs are currently being met. Because it is one thing to know what a person needs, but the ability to react when this person is unsatisfied is another matter entirely. For your staff, this demonstrates that they are looked after, that their well-being is taken into account and that their value as a human resource is recognised. It is this consideration which will positively impact their level of commitment to their company.
3. How can you create meaning in your employees’ lives?
Health crisis but also existential crisis for many, the pandemic has shaken up our daily routines and has confronted us with our own selves, inevitably leading to reflections on the real value of our lives. Therefore, a major reason behind this wave of resignations can be explained quite simply: I want to enjoy my work, I want to become the best version of myself, and I want to give my life meaning.
With this Great Resignation, the tables have turned. Before, employees looked to ‘retain’ their staff. Though this notion of ‘retention’ signified the employer’s power over their employees, now that people are quitting en masse, this has all gone out the window. The power has shifted. Today, companies need to ensure that their employees have the desire to fully dedicate themselves and give it their all. Companies need to take an active role in the growth of their workers and accompany them on their quest for meaning.
Now more than ever, people are searching for meaning, and to fully grasp what they’re looking for, interest evaluations are the only solution. The results will reveal what motivates your employees, the domains that will allow them to flourish, and the environments that will make them feel alive and truly invested in their tasks. After that, all companies need to do is reshuffle things a little, by allowing everyone to be in their rightful place, which will in turn spark the employee engagement you’ve been searching for.
So, there you have it, three main keys to ‘capitalise’ on your human resources. If this idea also seems a little outdated, let’s adopt a more modern approach: these strategies will allow you to take care of your employees and enable them to discover who they are, to thrive and to become fully committed to their work. The Big Quit phenomenon is an incentive to move towards a more balanced and humane management style, where the employee gives, the company gives back, and vice versa.
