Across every sector of industry, an alarming number of Americans continue to leave their positions in pursuit of better pay, improved workplace conditions, and a more reasonable work-life balance. Appropriately being called, “The Great Resignation”, over 47 million Americans quit their jobs in 2021 and the trend shows no sign of slowing.
Since these major workforce disruptions are caused by interconnected factors like the pandemic, shifting personal priorities, and increasingly overburdened workplace conditions, developing an appropriate response to waning retention can only happen after an honest evaluation of your company’s fundamentals. Without a clear understanding of why your employees are leaving, how can you possibly hope to keep your employees satisfied and dedicated?
By understanding the driving forces behind dissatisfaction, you will be better prepared to develop and implement a retention strategy with your team in mind. Before attempting to recalibrate your business infrastructure, take a few moments to determine if any of these factors may be causing your less-than-stellar retention figures:
- Low Pay
- Poor Advancement Opportunity
- Workplace Disrespect
- Child Care Conflicts
- Poor Scheduling Flexibility
- Inadequate Benefits
- & More…
Even though many of these factors are outside of your control, there are many steps you can take to create a more inclusive, respectful, and satisfactory working environment.
Define a Culture of Inclusivity
When staff members’ needs and desires are left unanswered or unheard, resentment and frustration blossom. Do you provide your team with opportunities to discuss their goals and wishes? Do you include your key personnel in important meetings and take action on their suggestions? When staff members are consistently acknowledged and actively included in the company’s culture, your team members will remain motivated to arrive, work hard, and can openly discuss their issues before a minor problem becomes a resignation letter.
Empower Your Leadership With Professional Coaching
Oftentimes, leadership tactics that lead to staff dissatisfaction can be difficult to detect without an outsider’s perspective. Experts at executive coaching companies take a deep dive into the fundamentals of your leadership and operational principles, before helping you develop a sound plan of action to define a more harmonious workplace environment.
They address important subjects like toxic workplace culture and discuss realistic ways to overcome staffing conflicts, poor responses to employee feedback, and other pertinent topics related to your specific retention issues. Once your leadership, HR, and management teams learn how to promote an environment of belonging and respect, improved staff retention is the result. Take a look at how one of the Percipio Company clients is leveraging coaching as an employee retention strategy!
Remain Flexible & Accommodate When You Can
Hand-in-hand with inclusivity and respect for your team members, the ability to make compromises is a retention-friendly leadership trait. While you may not be able to afford a more expensive health care plan, perhaps you can raise your team’s commission rate or allow for an additional day off each month. By demonstrating to your team that you actually care about their needs and accommodate them whenever possible, your team members feel appreciated and are far more likely to remain committed to your company’s mission.
