The Great Resignation continues, despite the pressures of inflation. While the number of people resigning has declined since its peak in November 2021, millions of workers continue to leave their jobs every month, creating huge gaps in many organizations.
What employee engagement tactics can you use to help your company avoid being one of those losing critical talent in this ongoing social transformation? There is nothing to absolutely make your organization resignation-proof, but the following strategies can soften the blow on your company.
One of the biggest factors driving the Great Resignation is people recognizing that their job doesn’t have to be just a transaction. They know they need to get paid, but getting paid is no longer enough for most employees. They want to know that they are personally valued.
Faced with the threat of losing employees, many companies started offering bonuses and pay increases. This has not worked very well in improving retention. It shows employees that they aren’t anything but a number to their employers. This makes them more eager to change employment to find more meaningful relationships that show they are valued as individuals.
Everybody’s money spends the same. If that is all an employee gets from you, they see no risk in getting that money from someone else. However, relationships are a unique bond between people, and employees are reluctant to give up what they might not be able to replace. Foster powerful relationships among your employees to improve retention.
One important aspect of a meaningful relationship is that people listen to each other. You demand that your employees listen to you. You need to reciprocate if you want to improve employee engagement.
Take the time to listen to employees. Make sure the employee benefits you’re offering are the ones that really matter to your people. Learn about them as individuals and hear their concerns about their work. When possible, incorporate employee suggestions into company procedures. When you can’t, take the time to explain why not. This will not only help employees understand your decision, but also let them know you’re listening.
People need growth and change. One of the biggest movies of 2021 was Dune, which offers the following wisdom: “A person needs new experiences. It jars something deep inside, allowing them to grow.” If you aren’t offering your employees growth opportunities, they will seek them elsewhere.
It’s transactional thinking to assume that “growth” means “promotion.” Instead, growth can be more training for their current position, or it can be a lateral move to a different area of the business. However, make sure the growth you’re offering is something your employees actually want – that’s part of the listening skill above.
Your managers are the ones who will have to do the heavy lifting for many parts of this strategy. In fact, when it comes to relationships, an employee’s relationship with their manager is likely the one that matters most.
If you have previously trained managers from a transactional perspective, it’s time to train them in relationships. Not all of your managers will be able to make the transition, and it might mean letting some of the managers go or moving them into non-managerial positions. It’s worth it: a single bad manager can poison entire teams.
At PassioHR, we understand the critical importance of employee engagement. Our Elevated Engagement Plus™ Approach helps us to bring custom employee engagement strategies to your company. We can help your company engage employees, whether they’re in the office or working remotely. We can offer innovative strategies, manager training, and more help to ensure your company is truly engaging your employees for maximum retention.
To learn how we can help your company improve retention, please call 303-221-0558 or contact PassioHR online today.
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