Up Next: “The Great Resignation”
One of the points I make in Resilent5 is that the world doesn’t just seem to be more unpredictable. It is more unpredictable.
As we clear 2020 and the pandemic fades, the shock waves are continuing. To wit:
Research shows that between 25% and 40% of employees are thinking about quitting their job. Given the talent issues companies are already facing, that’s a pretty serious issue.
“If there’s one thing that keeps me up at night, it’s the talent flight risk.”
As professional communicators, we don’t own all the solutions to this problem. Organizations need to make systemic changes to recruit and retain talent. Important parts do fall into our portfolio, though.
Improve the Employee Experience
It should not go without notice that all it took for people to rethink whether they were in the right job was a little separation. Put another way, I doubt if we knew our bonds to our employees were that tenuous.
The research shows that career growth and skill sets are the drivers behind the great resignation.
“Of those planning to leave their current job, 80% are concerned about career growth, and nearly 75% say the pandemic made them rethink their skill sets.”
Communicating with external stakeholders is the most important discipline in public relations today. We need to apply the same level of creativity and strategy to our internal communication as we do to our brand communications.
As with every stakeholder in our system, we need to build trust. In times of trouble, this is even more important. That means being proactive and transparent and having tough conversations. It also means backing up words with actions, including with a dashboard.
This is more than just a fix. An engaged workforce with earned loyalty creates a resilient company for the next upheaval.
Recognize Your Employer Brand is an Urgent Need
Here’s the thing. Your employees might be thinking of resigning. So are the employees at other companies. It is my contention that a strong employer brand is also a retention tool, but there is no doubt it is a recruitment tool.
Because there’s a potential positive on the other side of the upheaval if we choose to embrace it.
"Hopefully we’ll see a lot more people in 2022 employed and stable because they're in jobs they actually like," says Cathy Moy, chief people officer at BDO USA.
Dare to dream.
Build Resilience Long-Term
These days are over:
They’ll complain but where are they going to go?
We’ll have 10 applicants for every opening.
They’re the best we can find.
Companies can talk about being customer-focused, but the research shows they can’t maximize that approach without being employee-focused. An engaged workforce has less drama and is therefore more focused and efficient. Employee satisfaction directly correlates with customer satisfaction. Engaged workforces are more agile.
And an empty chair serves no one.