Rebuilding employee loyalty in 2022 

The Great Resignation is a topic of interest across mainstream news publications, boardrooms and HR teams. Whilst the debate continues as to how much different industries and countries are affected by the Great Resignation, and whether it is really just the Great Reshuffle, this moment certainly presents an opportunity for employers to pause and consider immediate priorities to navigate employee retention:

It’s critical to give your employees a voice, now more than ever. Perhaps there are particular experiences, such as flexible working policies, which are creating friction or particular employee groups, like working parents, which are a greater attrition risk. Digital tools like pulse surveys or digital focus groups, enables you to spot patterns and identify priority action areas across employee groups. Translating employee sentiments into actionable insights will enable you to take targeted, informed actions which resonate with your organization.

Also, don’t forget to listen to employees who are leaving. It will not only improve their off-boarding experience, it may uncover some of the more “hidden” pain points that need to be addressed. 

The dynamics of manager and employee relationships are evolving in response to the immediate impact of the pandemic (i.e. greater focus on personal / employee health issues) and also in line with broad shifts in the work environment (e.g. increase in remote job roles and the prevalence of new communication channels). Think about ways to give managers both the time and tools to develop their people management and “softer” core skills. On top of skills development, improving the communication loop and clarity of messages for managers to cascade to their teams is also critical.

Employee wellbeing is a key driver of attrition today. Managers are crucial pillars of support in the workplace and play an important role in spotting employees who may be struggling. More support can be provided to managers to understand the meaning of holistic wellbeing (physical, social, emotional, and financial wellbeing) and how they can make a difference to their employees. 

The ongoing pandemic is prompting introspection; employees are thinking more about their future careers and reflecting on what change might look like. What are you doing as an organization to help people see different opportunities internally as well as externally?

Having tools, structures and policies that enable employees to understand the different pathways and the steps involved in their progress is critical. However, to really make an impact, organizations need to go further and truly connect with a diverse range of employee aspirations. This could mean introducing talent matching platforms that enable employees to temporarily take on new projects, implementing cross-function mentoring programs or launching a communications campaign that uses meaningful career success stories from employees across the organization to make career goals “real”.

These are just some ways for you to build resilient people and resilient businesses in the new shape of work. If you’re ready to reverse the trend and rebuild employee loyalty in 2022, we’re ready to help. Contact us today!