Employees see leaving as their only option. It’s time to change that.

Staffing

Nicole Smartt Serres is an author and president of Star Staffing, based in Petaluma.

Read her previous columns.

We’re still facing challenges with the Great Resignation.

According to a recent study by LHH, “Over a quarter (27%) of workers globally will quit their jobs in the next 12 months, and 45% of these are actively keeping a finger on the job market and are applying for new roles or interviewing for them.”

And other studies suggest groups most likely to consider quitting include lower-income employees — those who make less than $60,000 per year — as well as frontline workers and underrepresented employees.

So we’re losing some of our most valuable employees, all the while struggling to replace them. It’s an organizational nightmare.

It seems counterintuitive that we’re in the midst of a recession, yet people are leaving their companies in droves.

But I see this data as a blessing in disguise: It’s a sign that something is missing — and that we’re focusing on the wrong things as a retention tool.

In that same study, LHH found that salary is still the number one factor for employees deciding whether to stay or go, but there are also challenges with mental health, burnout, workload, work location, training, and more.

There’s only so much you can do about salary. (But if you can give your team a pay bump, do it!)

However, those other challenges — there’s space there to get creative with doing more.

“Talent at the front lines is the most competitive right now,” says Joe Wentworth, senior learning and development specialist at Merchants Fleet. “It’s much easier to leave for more money, but front-line employees will stay when their basic needs are met.”

These needs include supportive working conditions, mental health support, and flexibility.

These needs can look different based on individual preferences and values. In addition to optimizing exit interviews, holding stay interviews can help you determine what individuals need, why they stay, and what would make them leave.

A stay interview is similar to an exit interview but conducted with current employees. One-on-one stay interviews are more time-consuming than sending out a generalized survey, but that’s the point: You can dig in and get a more profound response.

I typically recommend randomizing stay interviews across the company, then conducting a handful each quarter. If you’re in the throes of a “great resignation” of your own, however, you might want to conduct interviews with the entire team now to establish a baseline.

Next, here are some benefits and perks you can consider offering to help meet employees’ needs, depending on the responses from a stay interview:

  • Full benefits for part-time employees.
  • Improved training.
  • Shift changes.
  • Sharing shifts.
  • Focus on the culture during onboarding.
  • Being mindful of performance expectations — don’t just drive numbers at the expense of burnout!
  • Give a subsidy on health insurance costs for employees making less than $60,000.
  • Review your current policies for improvement opportunities, and report back on them to the whole team within 60 days.
  • Create career paths so that front-line employees can see themselves growing at your company.
  • Get leaders involved in helping your front line during busy times.

While some of these endeavors take time and money, the return on investment will be worth it. The cost of turnover, recruiting, and loss in productivity is exponential — spending resources now to meet your employees’ needs will prove invaluable.

Staffing

Nicole Smartt Serres is an author and president of Star Staffing, based in Petaluma.

Read her previous columns.

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