Unless your business can run without humans, you cannot ignore this, no matter how complex staffing seems.ġ) What functions are necessary to accomplish your organization’s work? For example, sales, product development, customer service, and administrative support.Ģ) What would it take to create the conditions right now to enable your entire team to flourish?ģ) Who can you brainstorm with to create a high-level plan to introduce these improvements?Ĥ) What support do you need to execute the plan?ĥ) What date can you commit to initiate the plan? But I am going to be frank: Too many leaders know their weaknesses, and their organization’s weaknesses, and do little to strengthen them. Opportunities abound when you consider the tools leaders possess to attract and retain their employees.
On the other hand, consider that 95% of job candidates state that culture is more important than compensation, and maybe employees don’t want to return to an office that feels counterproductive. Companies that require employees to return to the office compound the sense that leaders don’t appreciate the factors which enable employees to thrive.Rigid requirements for when, how, and where work will be done feel particularly constrictive at this time. Many employees desire more autonomy and flexibility to enable them to self-regulate their well-being, wherever they show up. Work-life balance is a dynamic that shifts based on work and life’s seasons.Some resignations represent self-imposed sabbaticals. Think of it like a person who has undergone a major surgery and needs to be eased back into regular physical activity. We can’t be certain that resignations based on burnout won’t be reversed once resilience stores are re-built.There are countless overlooked opportunities for companies to improve work conditions. The backlog of resignations points to pre-pandemic, garden-variety workplace dissatisfaction (eg culture, poor management, compensation).
Here are my observations of these buckets: Department of Labor Statistics data shows that people are resigning in greater numbers in specific states (highest states Georgia, Kentucky, Idaho), population densities (higher in rural areas), fields (higher in healthcare and tech), ages (highest among 30–45-year-olds), and genders (more women). Recalibrating work-life balance was inevitable.Ĥ) As companies reopened their offices, employees would feel the pressure to give up the new-found benefits of working remotely. As the economy and climate improved, workers would feel less risk inherent in their decision to quit.Ģ) Reports of burnout and stress indicated people no longer had the capacity or will to prioritize their work over their mental, emotional, and physical well-being.ģ) The pandemic-driven slowdown led many people to reflect on their lives, priorities, and desired direction. What were the four trends?ġ) Resignation levels were down and presumed to be backlogged due to the pandemic's uncertainty. Klotz studies employee resignations and, based on trends he was plotting, he forecasted record voluntary resignations in the coming months. The Great Resignation was a phrase coined by Texas A & M’s management professor Anthony Klotz last May. Not exactly the mindset we leaders are going for.
I challenge you to think more deeply about these statistics, because the label can breed dread and a sense of helplessness. As we wait for the new Labor Statistics to be released tomorrow, March 1st, it is true that there has been a dramatic and unprecedented rise in voluntary resignations (11 million in December). Don't let the words “The Great Resignation” get into your head.