Every day on Linked In, I see two themes: folks getting new jobs and employers completely confused by the “great resignation.”
Let’s get one thing off the table – People aren’t leaving your company because they don’t want to work anymore.
They are leaving because they found something better. You were in a competition…you lost…and instead of looking for ways to improve yourself, you’d rather blame anyone but yourself for the loss. And the cycle persists.
So, what can employers do about it? Here are three simple fixes.
Salary
We’ve been lucky that inflation has been relatively non-existent for the last few years. That luck has run out. Inflation is everywhere. And it’s making up for lost time.
That employee making $50,000 and hasn’t had a raise in four years? Using average inflation of 3%, that employee’s $50,000…in terms of purchasing power, has reduced to around $46,000. Because of inflation + working for you & without a raise = a pay-cut.
Every employee wants to feel appreciated and respected. Telling them is indeed a requirement. But so is action. If I tell my spouse I love her, but never take her out on a date, never do anything for her? At some point, my words ring hollow.
If an employee is indeed doing well, adding value, growing and contributing…yes, tell them. But then, you have to show them. Don’t be surprised if the employee leaves for a company willing to put words into action.
Culture
Culture has been a buzzword for…forever. But I believe it’s finally time for culture to take the spotlight. Culture is more than intranet documents telling people what the company stands for. It’s a living, evolving mantra that people can buy into. But it too, must be put into action. Culture cannot be just words.
Out of 100 companies who claim they “work hard/play hard” 99 of them only focus on the ‘work hard.’ To them? “Play hard” means buying pizza twice a year…while still expecting employees to huddle at their screen while scarfing said pizza.
Dear employers – stop getting drunk on your Kool-Aid. Whatever widget or service you’re selling? It’s not worth the mental and emotional destruction that burnout brings. And burnout is a direct result of bad culture. Bad culture breeds bad leaders and bad managers.
It doesn’t matter if said widget or service “saves lives…” you know what airlines tell you to do during a crisis? Put your own oxygen mask on first. Our employees cannot “save lives” (can we seriously stop?) if they’ve just worked back-to-back-to-back 12-hour days to close out the quarter and hit quota.
If said employee leaves for a better culture…one committed to mental and emotional well-being? You cannot blame them for ‘not wanting to work anymore.’ They just don’t want to work for your shitty culture.
Elevating your company's mission over and above an employee's well being is insane. Yet, here we are. Work-life balance? Please...most employers look at it as: work-work balance.
How about that new buzz-phrase "work-life integration?" Terrifying. Work-life integration goes something like: "hey employee, it's Saturday, but this report needs to be done. You know, we support work-life integration." So, employee does the report. Monday, employee has a doctor's appointment and you know what the work-life "integration" manager says? "You need to take PTO or do that on your own time."
Shitty. Culture.
Marketing
One of the most disappointing aspects of employment is what happens whence someone become an employee. We spend 99% of our marketing budget on prospects and customers.
Maybe 1% of the marketing budget gets applied to recruiting prospective employees and exactly zero on marketing to employees.
Going back to the spouse example, once your significant other says “yes” the job isn’t over. In fact, in many ways, it’s just beginning. We must continually invest in relationships for them to remain healthy. We must invest in them so they can grow.
Yet most companies take an approach that once the employee starts, mission accomplished. Those same employers are shocked when employees become disengaged, disenfranchised and leave.
Marketing to employees produces incalculable return. Keeping employees reduces churn. Reduces expenses. It drives more engagement from employees which leads to enhanced revenue. Engaged, motivated and excited employees produce results.
We know this. Yet, virtually no marketing to employees exists. Most employers shrug off the suggestion with “we pay their salary, what more do they want?”
That’s the modern-day version of “let them eat cake.” And you’re surprised when employees disengage. Surprised when they leave. And blame everyone but yourself.
Have some awareness dear employers. Stop getting drunk on your own Kool Aid and spend some time thinking about ways to enhance the employee experience. The incremental investment you make into these activities will produce exponential results.
Or.
You can continue to blame people who “don’t want to work” anymore…while your competitors steal talent, erode your market share…but, hey, at least you have that work-hard/play hard poster to take with you when the office shuts down.
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