The Great Resignation: Taking Work Personally

If you own or manage a business, you are no stranger to the current labor crisis. Staffing, especially in key leadership positions, has quickly become a major challenge.

If you find yourself struggling to keep your company roster stacked and your head above water, it may be overdue to ask yourself these questions: Why are you losing top talent, or how do you hold onto the talent you have?

A new Gallup poll found that nearly 50 percent of the workforce is actively searching for a new job. From entry-level roles to high-level positions, workers are migrating in droves from every sector of the job market. It’s becoming clear that the cause of The Great Resignation is not a specific industry issue - It’s a workplace one.

What happened? Well, the workplace has changed dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic.

Remote positions have ushered in the freedom for employees to manage their own time and have control over their own experiences. Many “perks” of the office such as free coffee, lunches, and company events pale in comparison to the flexibility of a laptop.

Why type at your desk, when you can travel and type? Why meet in a conference room, when you can vacation and video chat?

The rigid traditions of the office place have slowly started to feel restrictive. And the perks that once passed as “company culture” are simply not enough to make people stay anymore.

Here is the real truth: People don’t want to just work to live. They want a position that is part of one, fulfilling life.

So, when you examine how your company operates, ask yourself: Are you welcoming your entire employee to the table?

To feel fulfilled, people need to feel honored as an individual and safe enough to bring their entire selves to work every day.

This doesn’t just happen magically. Leadership needs to deliberately create the space for their team to truly have a voice without the fear of retaliation. Building a personalized culture relies on meaningful conversations, expectations, and accountability. Most of all, it requires taking an earnest interest in your employee’s personal goals, skills, performance, and discussing how these fit into their overall life.

The data doesn’t lie. Employees that are not fully engaged at work are leaving. Discontent arises from those that are checking boxes and checking out.

The Gallup poll found that it takes more than a 20 percent pay raise to lure most employees away from a manager who personally engages them. From a disengaged manager? Next to nothing.

In today’s current job market, prepare to have your “great company culture” fact checked. Continuing to focus on just pay incentives, or random perks, drastically overlooks the true root of your malaise: Genuine personal engagement.

The Culture Fix offers a practical approach to building a personalized culture where humans feel truly valued as an individual. We specialize in taking words on a CoreChart™ and bringing them alive into the hearts and minds of your team. At The Culture Fix®, we understand how to build a genuinely thriving culture that adds value to your employee’s lives, and in turn raises the overall value of your company.

During The Great Resignation, every company will need to seriously consider how their workplace is attracting - or driving away - the top talent that they need. If you are interested in making the shift towards a thriving culture, contact us today.