The Great Resignation is a Great Transformation. A time for change. A time to lay the groundwork for a better work environment for younger generations. A time for us as individuals and a collective to make significant advancements toward living lives that work for us, not against us. As an employer, the Great Resignation may be daunting because you don’t want to lose your best employees. The good news is that people aren’t resigning from their jobs for no reason. Once you understand the reason, you can create an environment where people want to work. Employees everywhere are waking up and saying “No!” to old ways of authoritative work environments. Here is how to keep employees engaged, happy, thriving, and saying “Yes!” to work that brings joy and satisfaction.
What Makes Employees Happy with Their Job?
As many employees turn in their two-week notices, employers are wondering, “How do I keep my employees from leaving?” and “What are the best ways to retain employees?” You want to know how to keep employees happy, so they don’t leave your company. The best way to learn what makes employees satisfied with their job is to ask them, listen intently, and take action in line with their desires.
During the Great Resignation, we’ve seen employees leave companies for various reasons, but some of the most common are…
- Money – People want and deserve to be paid well for their work. A “living wage” is a starting point, but if you want to know how to keep employees, you must prioritize a “competitive wage.”
- Flexibility – If COVID showed us anything, it’s that working from home works. Providing employees with the opportunity for remote work is a significant factor in keeping them engaged and motivated.
- Humanity – Companies often forget their employees are people with lives, families, passions, hardships, bad days, dreams, and goals. When human connection and empathy are absent, employees will burn out quickly and leave jobs to find opportunities where they’re valued as people above everything else.
If you want to know what makes employees happy with their job, ask, listen, and act to create a workplace where people want to be.
What are the Strategies to Retain the Best Employees?
Your company is just like an organism. It is a living, growing thing. All parts are connected to the whole, and the energy that everyone brings to the environment affects the whole. That means if one team isn’t working well together, it negatively impacts the entire group. Knowing this, here are three ways to keep employees happy, motivated, and engaged during the Great Resignation and beyond.
1. Create a Positive Work Environment
Aside from money, a positive work environment is essential to keeping employees. If you’re unsure whether or not you provide your employees with a healthy environment to thrive personally and professionally, it is crucial to pause and take inventory.
As a leader, you should start with yourself. What can you identify as contributing to or hurting the work environment? Name it. Be open and offer dialog around any problems that arise. Create space for feedback from your team that allows collaboration. Working through issues as a team often provides better solutions than you might have thought of in a vacuum. Most importantly, communicate. You have to make tough decisions at times, and it’s best to communicate them swiftly and honestly.
2. Be Authentic
Nothing kills authenticity more than trying too hard– too hard to be right or something or someone you’re not. It’s ok not to know the answers. It’s ok to ask questions. And that goes for all members and levels of the team. When you’re authentic as a leader, it shows your employees they are safe to be authentically themselves at work. That’s essential.
As humans, we spend 1/3 of our lives at work. How sad, unmotivating, and draining if we cannot be our authentic selves those 90,000-some hours. Be open. Be vulnerable. And be accepting of your employees’ openness and vulnerability. Remember, we’re all humans trying to figure out how to make the most of our lives, leave an impact, and enjoy ourselves while doing it. As a leader, design your life around practicing love for other people. There is no leader without the people that surround you. It is power with, not over. So, connect often and authentically.
3. Develop and Pursue a Purpose-Driven Mission
If you’re spending all your time wondering how to keep employees motivated, you have more significant problems that you need to address. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to get clear on your purpose-driven mission that influences your values and boundaries. Once you do this, the right employees will be like a magnet to you.
Motivation comes when you have the right talent in the right roles focused on the right mission. When these elements align, you can trust your employees will be happy and motivated on their own. If you have team members that aren’t happy, you might not be able to make them happy, no matter how much money, recognition, or PTO you throw their way. You can address issues, provide open dialog, problem solve, and create an environment that promotes and encourages growth and learning. However, if it is simply not a good fit for both of your needs, that’s ok. It’s better to recognize the disconnect and address the root issue.
How to Keep Employees by Transforming Your Organization
If you want to learn how to keep employees thriving at work, it may be time to invest in group coaching for your team. As a certified life and career coach, I provide a holistic view of your organization. I am not an expert on any one business, but I offer a 10,000-foot view to see what’s really going on and aid in creating an environment where everyone has what they need to thrive.
I believe the “Great Resignation” is a “Great Transformation” because these last years have been a divine wake-up call from nature. People are realizing we’ve created chaos in our lives and that the day-to-day grind to keep up with the speed of technology and acquire more is causing us to burn out significantly. It is a stressful way of living that has taken a toll on humanity. This is seen in people leaving their jobs for more fulfilling, life-giving opportunities.
However, I am hopeful this time will bring us closer and more connected. Living and working better together. Playing The Infinite Game of life–a world of abundance and opportunity, not limited to a select few but for everyone. Each of us on our unique path, contributing to our world with great purpose. It is possible to start in your organization, with your team, no matter how large or small. If you’re ready to transform your work environment and create a place where employees want to be, let’s chat about group coaching in the workplace.
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