Hang on! If you want them, keep them.

by Jan 26, 2022

By Kathy Grey | January 26, 2022

It’s hard enough to find good employees, so keep them when you do!  With roughly 4.5 million American workers in a single month jumping on board the Great Resignation train, Senior leaders and HR are rethinking how to stop the exodus. 

It’s key for leaders to understand when corporate culture is addressed, employees are working in environments where they feel valued and that equates with positive business outcomes, including employee retention.

The Washington Post states that “the imbalance between available workers and job openings has given many workers more leverage than they’ve had in recent memory”. They are leaving jobs that don’t provide the opportunities and respect necessary for happiness and therefore, success.

Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, acknowledges that this generation of workers has a very different set of expectations than previous ones. They want jobs they love. According to Gallup, Gen Y and Gen Z now make up nearly half (46%) of the full-time workforce in the U.S. And right around the corner, 2025, 75 % of the workforce will be millennials. These workers Younger workers have stated they want to learn more on the job. They want to work for a company that cares about their wellbeing. 

We’ve got you on this one.

  1. Create a civil work environment. It leads to a better bottom line, increases employee retention and fewer excuses for sick days. As we wrote about back in 2012, companies that openly promote civility among employees earn 30 % more revenue than competitors, are four times more likely to have highly engaged employees and are 20 % more likely to report reduced turnover.
  2. Our awesome team at Civility Partners will partner with you to determine why your employees might be disengaged and bolting out the door. We will conduct a climate assessment to understand exactly what is happening in your organization so we can strategize together to increase employee engagement. 
  3. Build flexibility and trust. Many employees have been working fully remote or hybrid for a couple of years now. If that still works for your company, check in with your employees and ask what works for them. If you need an employee in the office part of the time, a simple adjustment to schedule can go a long way to show that their personal life is recognized and valued equal to their job.
  4. Provide opportunities for learning and growth. You will retain and keep employees motivated by allowing for personal growth and development. Create a growth plan by allowing employees to identify areas of skills, abilities, passions. It needs to be unique to individual employees. Ask your employees what they want and need. Again, we’ve got you on this
  5. Build an inclusive workforce with a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team. Check out our short video here. 

And if you’re looking for ideas on how to successfully re-onboard your workforce, check out Rebecca’s recent blog post here. 

Don’t wait until you lose employees, find out what they are experiencing, their needs and what will keep them engaged – and your bottom line improving. We’re here for you.

Sincerely,

Kathy, and The Civility Partners Team

 

Civility Partners has been recognized among the Top 10 California HR Outsourcing Companies in 2022 by DesignRush

About Catherine Mattice

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is President of consulting and training firm, Civility Partners, and has been successfully providing programs in workplace bullying and building positive workplaces since 2007. Her clients include Fortune 500’s, the military, several universities and hospitals, government agencies, small businesses and nonprofits. She has published in a variety of trade magazines and has appeared several times on NPR, FOX, NBC, and ABC as an expert, as well as in USA Today, Inc Magazine, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, and more. Catherine is Past-President of the Association for Talent Development (ATD), San Diego Chapter and teaches at National University. In his book foreword, Ken Blanchard called her book, BACK OFF! Your Kick-Ass Guide to Ending Bullying at Work, “the most comprehensive and valuable handbook on the topic.” She recently released a second book entitled, SEEKING CIVILITY: How Leaders, Managers and HR Can Create a Workplace Free of Bullying.

Managing Emotions at Work After the Inauguration

Next week marks the presidential inauguration, a time that often stirs strong emotions in the workplace. Excitement, disappointment, frustration, or even anxiety can find their way into daily interactions. Employees may consciously or unconsciously bring their...

January Jitters: 4 Tips for Keeping Morale High After the Holidays

Happy New Year! Now that we’re all back to the grind, let’s talk about January’s reputation as the least productive month of the year. The post-holiday slump is real - teams return to work with noticeably less pep in their step.   This time of year can feel like...

3 Stories That Prove Positive Culture Change is Possible

When SHRM launched their #CivilityAtWork initiative, it felt like a rallying cry for everything we believe in and have been fighting for these last 15 years. Respectful, thriving workplaces are the dream we all share, but let’s be real—getting there isn’t always easy....

A Look Back and Look Forward: Where Are You Headed with Culture?

Culture can make or break a workplace. If that sounds dramatic, but consider this: 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a strong workplace culture is critical to business success, yet 69% of employees say their organizations lack a culture where feedback is...

Celebrate the Season Without Dividing Your Team: Inclusive Holiday Tips

The holiday season may be billed as the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s often a minefield of conflicts waiting to happen. Holidays are deeply personal, sparking joy and nostalgia for some while leaving others feeling excluded or stressed. With 44% of...

3 Ways to Manage Post-Election Stress at Work and Home This Holiday Season

Elections are more than debates and opinions—they’re emotional whirlwinds that don’t end when the polls close. This year, presidential election stress is breaking records, with reported levels higher than in both 2020 and 2016. And the fallout lingers. A University of...

Post-Election Chaos: 3 Ways to Keep Psychological Safety Intact

According to a survey by the American Psychological Association, nearly 70% of Americans view political discourse as a significant source of stress, and workplaces are no exception. In fact, SHRM reports that political and social tensions have driven workplace...

Your CEO thinks HR is operational, not strategic?

Do these comments resonate with you?  Owners don’t understand that we’re not just paperwork. HR is a punching bag expected to resolve everyone’s mess. There’s no HR budget, no support, and a team of 2 for 300+ employees. Even after a workforce survey, leadership still...

Free Webinar: Unlock Your Managers’ Leadership Potential

Being good at your job doesn’t make you good at managing people. You know this.  You also know the outcome when an individual contributor moves to a manager role without receiving the right training – a struggling team, unclear expectations, conflict, disengaged...

5 Tools for Pitching Culture Change to Leadership

You already know that a strong culture leads to engaged employees, lower turnover, and a healthier bottom line, but convincing leadership? That’s a different story. It's exhausting pushing for changes that are dismissed as “soft skills” or shot down because they don't...