How to retain talent in a difficult labor market

Since the shift in work rhythms and schedules brought upon by the pandemic, more workers than ever before are considering changing jobs, their career, or their relationship with their work altogether. In fact, the number of resignations in the past few years has multiplied, as American workers shift shift towards emphasizing family time, remote work, shorter commutes, and other factors making more and more workers reluctant to go back to the typical 9-5 corporate lifestyle. Professor Anthony Klotz of Texas A&M University has coined this phenomenon “the great resignation.”

As explained by Klotz, there has been an accumulation of stalled resignations due to the impacts of the pandemic. The argument is that in times of uncertainty and insecurity, people tend to behave conservatively and stay put in order to avoid risk. Yet once things stabilize again, it is reasonable to expect unsatisfied people to head for the door.

So, what does this mean for you and your business? Well, a lot of uncertainty. It is more important now than ever to consider the culture you’ve created for your employees. Here are a few ways you can ensure you are meeting the needs and expectations of your employees amidst a perpetually changing labor environment.

As you move back to more onsite work, be sure to talk to staff about outstanding issues, concerns, or barriers – conduct 1:1 meetings between staff & managers to ensure you understand anything you may not have taken into consideration prior

It takes 21 days to go from “new” to “habit”, and then by the 90th day it becomes permanent. People have “permanently” adopted the changes that fit for them over the last year, and it will take that long for them to create those new habits & permanent behaviors as the adapt to new conditions

Offer hybrid work accommodations such as a combination of remote and in-person hours. Be willing to create fluid systems of scheduling and routine that work for each individual employee.

Create “collaboration hours”, times when the entire team is around for meetings, check-ins, and collaborative opportunities. Other times, when people need to focus, can be done onsite, from home, the coffee shop, whatever work environment works for them

Make sure your employees health care and insurance needs are taken care of – if you have the opportunity create a richer or more diverse offering, now is the time to do it.

To focus on mental health clearly communicate the benefits the company already offers within their medical plan(s), Employee Assistance Programs, or any other additional means of support. Beyond that, schedule regular check-ins with team members to ensure that any outstanding difficulties with changes and developments are well-explained and taken care of.