Rumours about huge numbers of people planning to quit their jobs after reassessing their work-life balance are causing panic in some quarters. Instead of reacting with a knee-jerk response, use it as an opportunity to get your organisation fit for the long term.
By Amy Butterworth, Principal Consultant, Timewise
It’s all over the press and social media, but is the ‘great resignation’ really a thing? Are employers facing a mass employee walkout, as people reassess their lives and decide to quit their jobs? And if so, what should they do to pre-empt it?
There’s certainly a feeling that the pandemic has triggered a work-life balance rethink. The ability to work from home for at least part of the week has led some employees to move away from big cities, in search of more space, or lower overheads, or both. And the much reported growth in ‘pandemic burnout’, mental health issues and work creep all appear to be taking their toll.
The data stacks up, too; according to research by Personio and Opinium, nearly 40% of employees are looking to change roles in the next 6 or 12 months, or once the economy has strengthened. And employers seem aware of the risk, with 45% of HR decision makers saying they are worried that staff will leave once the job market improves.
It’s clear, then, that the impact of the pandemic on how we work, and the related shift in employee priorities, are set to continue. And while it would be tempting to panic, and action some short-term initiatives to try and keep hold of people, investing your energy into building a culture and behaviours that will support employee retention in the long term makes much more sense. Here are some suggestions for how to do so:
If, like many organisations, you’re on the path towards a hybrid approach, it’s really important to involve your people in the process. They should be invited to feed into the scoping sessions, and to express their views on potential plans; imposing working arrangements without consultation is likely to increase the chances that employees will up and leave.
And this isn’t just an issue in relation to your current employees. Approaches to hybrid and flexible working are strong indicators of workplace cultures, and job seekers will want to understand how your organisation responded. Being seen to be collaborative, rather than imposing your preferences on the team, can only enhance your employer brand.
It’s fair to say that some areas and sectors are at greater risk from the ‘great resignation’ than others. For example, organisations with high numbers of older employees (such as the NHS) could be disproportionately hit, as they respond to Covid-19 by retiring early.
So firstly, interrogate your demographic, and identify groups that may be more at risk. Then think creatively about what you could change that might encourage them, and those coming up behind them, to stay. And looking further ahead, take the opportunity to think about how you can shape your roles to ensure that knowledge and experience are shared.
To use the older demographic as an example, that could mean looking at whether part-time could be offered as a way to ease into retirement. Or it could be exploring mentoring of junior employees as a way to share and retain more experienced colleagues’ knowledge and skills.
One upside of the pandemic has been that employers have had increased visibility of their people’s lives outside work, and so greater insight into what support they might need. And the more you understand what’s going on in people’s lives, the easier it will be to identify those at risk of leaving, now and in the future.
So talk to your teams, and build ways to get these insights into your ongoing processes. Set aside time for 1-1s to discuss working patterns; both now, in relation to the return to work, but also going forwards as part of your performance review process. Build conversations about wellbeing into your team meetings, as a standing agenda item. And commit to reviewing and improving your post-Covid working approach, within and across teams.
Smart employers are using this period as an opportunity to put their organisation in pole position for the future of work; not just post-Covid, but in 3, or 5, or 10 years’ time. So think creatively about the different types of skills that you will need, and get ahead of the game in upskilling and reskilling your staff so they are well-placed to succeed. This will not only help you stay competitive within your field, but will also demonstrate that you value your staff and want to invest in them.
With the knowledge you gain from the above process, you can then start to design roles that will deliver, both against your operational needs and those of your employees. Remember the importance of building flexibility into these roles – it’s a high priority for millions of employees now – and don’t let the pandemic-led focus on remote working make you forget about the potential of part-time.
And make sure you’re clear about the flexibility you’re offering when recruiting; currently only around 22% of roles are advertised with flexible options, despite 87% of people wanting to work flexibly; so doing so is a great way to get an edge in the battle for talent.
If you would like support with any of the above, please do get in touch; we offer consultancy and training on all thing flex, including hybrid working strategy and implementation for leaders and managers, and flexible job design.
Life-changing events such as the pandemic will always give people cause to stop and think about how they want to live their lives. But by treating this large-scale re-evaluation as an opportunity instead of a threat, and taking actions that improve your organisation in the long term, you’ll build a stable, skilled workforce who will be more likely to stay, whatever else is going on in the world.
Published July 2021
