For Employers Facing/Fearing The Great Resignation

If you employ people, you are likely aware of the latest buzz-phrase: The Great Resignation. You may be experiencing it as employees you thought were headed back into the office this fall are writing you “I quit” letters instead. Maybe you’re losing sleep fearing what will be in your inbox each morning. 

Change is uncomfortable and this change is a big one as more and more workers decide that there is greener professional grass on the other side of this pandemic. But you don’t have to fear this change even if you are losing employees, or having difficulty attracting new ones.

If your return-to-office plans have already resulted in staffing losses, you have a problem in the short-term, but an opportunity over the long-term. You have a window to learn what went wrong, and you get to do something about it in real time.  

As an HR professional, I can assist with this information gathering through conducting exit interviews which provide invaluable data about what it is like to work for your business. What went wrong, yes, but also what went right. This information can then be applied to your HR practices to improve and strengthen your recruitment and retention strategies. 

It’s time to get creative with your operations, especially if you’re worried you may start to lose staff as fall looms. Take the information from any exit interviews, combine it with what you see going on around you as well as takeaways from the past year and come up proactive options for your staff. How can you accommodate people who want to be back in the office full time and those who want remote work days with flexible schedules built into their week? How can you keep your team connected and cohesive while allowing for different ways of working? Do you need to keep and maintain office space, or can you outsource space to privately run work clubs such as Club KWENCH in Victoria?

Next, initiate conversations with all your employees. Start by providing as much information as possible about what returning to work could look like, what options they may have, etc. You don’t need all the answers, good leadership acknowledges gaps up front and communicates clearly about them. Let each employee know why they are valued and express your gratitude for how hard and well they worked for you this past year as the world fell apart. Assure them you will navigate this process together with safety and well-being at the forefront of the decision-making process. 

If you would like support on how to structure these plans and conversations, please reach out to me any time.