There is much talk about the great resignation and employees leaving organizations because the market is rewarding individuals for doing less; hence they do not want to work as much, and remote work is preferred. Or, there may just be many alternate options available. The last element may be correct, yet there is an overriding reason why people leave organizations. It is not consistent across industries, and data show there is a surefire way to retain your staff.
Today individuals usually have employment options, and workers have more opportunities to pursue. Yet, one factor consistently is why people are leaving, and it is all about the leaders.
With a robust job market, individuals are looking for opportunities that inspire them, work where they can develop and grow, are given opportunities, and are valued by their leaders.
If your organization is losing people, it may be best to ask why individuals leave. Before offering an external factor as the reason, ask yourself why it is your organization they are moving away from and what you are doing differently to retain them. If you rely on what worked for you pre-Covid, be assured it no longer suffices. The workplace has changed, and similarly, more employee-favorable practices are prevalent.
If the intent is to keep our employees, be sure to ask what you are doing or not doing to meet their needs and value them. If you are doing what you did in 2020, you are failing. People do not leave a position because of the work, but more so because of how leaders make them feel. So the answer to your retention may be more straightforward than you imagined. The days of being an asshole in leadership are long gone.
