What The Great Reflection Can Teach HR Professionals About Employee Retention

Understanding what employees want from a job

The seismic shift in the world of work precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic gave way to the Great Resignation - and it is far from over. As employees reflect upon what they want from their jobs, we as human resources professionals must reflect on how we attract, hire, and retain employees. Organizations that choose to treat this moment as an opportunity for improvement and innovation will be the ones that thrive in this new era of work.

What is the Great Reflection?

The Great Reflection is the event that preceded the Great Resignation, as millions of employees reconsidered their careers, work-life balance, and what they wanted from a job. The Covid pandemic disrupted people’s way of life and caused them to question so many aspects of the status quo - including work. In the months that followed, the Great Resignation took shape - employees began leaving their jobs and changing careers in droves. While turnover is typically highest among young employees, the Harvard Business Review reports that the Great Resignation has been driven primarily by mid-career employees between 30-45 years old. An August 2021 survey from Bankrate found that 55% of the U.S. workforce said they planned to look for a new job in the next 12 months. Both the U.S. and the U.K. saw record-breaking numbers of job vacancies over the last year. 
 

Many claim the sudden disruption of daily life brought about by the pandemic caused them to reflect on what mattered most to them. In fact, 68% of all employees in a LumApps study agree or strongly agree with this statement: “The pandemic made me rethink what I want out of my career.”

What HR Professionals Can Learn From the Great Reflection

Employee retention will undoubtedly be a key issue in the future. Human resources professionals can use insights gleaned from the Great Reflection to recruit, engage and retain employees. 

While millions of people have already switched jobs, many more have yet to take action. In fact, the Lumapps study found that while 41% of workers surveyed in the U.S. and U.K. would prefer to leave their current companies, 59% would prefer to stay under the right conditions. Companies can still retain these workers by responding to this moment accordingly. Furthermore, understanding what employees want from their careers will be crucial for attracting new talent to an organization.  

Employees are the most valuable resource in any organization. Replacing them is expensive; what’s worse, losing employees to more forward-thinking employers could spell disaster for a company. The Great Reflection can help us understand not only what dissatisfactions prompted employees to quit, but also what it will take to get great employees to stay. 

Understanding What Employees Want From a Job

It is important to comprehend what prompts employees to leave their jobs as well as what they are looking for from their careers. While compensation is certainly a top concern for workers everywhere, that alone is not enough to retain the most talented and motivated employees. There are a number of factors that also rank highly, as shown below: 

Flexibility

The worldwide pandemic accelerated the trend of remote work, which was already well on its way. Those seeking a greater balance between work and other pursuits wished to maintain the flexibility of hybrid or remote work. In other cases, the reasons for seeking a flexible work schedule were more practical than philosophical - remote workers waste less time commuting to and from the office, and working parents are able to save money on childcare. The reasons may vary, but one thing is certain: remote work is here to stay. A majority of employees report that they expect to continue working remotely at least some of the time even after pandemic-era restrictions are a thing of the past. 

Room to Grow 

Among the top reasons employees gave for wanting to leave their jobs was a lack of opportunities for promotion and advancement within their company. According to a study conducted by HR.com, titled "The State of Employee/Human Experience in 2021," researchers found the opportunity to grow within an organization was the top issue impacting employee experience. Employees seek the ability to learn and advance in their careers. 

Connection

Bad relationships with one’s manager or team can lead to employee turnover. Likewise, positive relationships with their managers and team are among the top reasons employees give for choosing to stay in their current roles. 

Strategies for Employee Retention in 2022

Informed by data and an understanding of employees’ motivations, HR professionals can develop and implement smart strategies for employee retention, including the following:

Flexible Work Policies

Employers need to understand that the line between work and life has been irrevocably blurred. Employees want freedom and autonomy. What’s more, flexible or remote work has a positive effect on productivity; when employees can work smarter rather than harder, they get more accomplished. Implementing flexible work policies will not only help retain current employees but will also make your company attractive to new talent. 

Support Employee Development

Investing in workers’ professional development enables employers to take the time to discuss their strengths and goals, develop specific plans for development and communicate regularly to monitor progress. Opportunities for growth might include upskilling or training, educational conferences, stretch projects and the opportunity for promotion. Another strategy for encouraging employee development is through coaching and mentoring. Mentorship not only aids in employees’ professional growth, but it also helps nurture personal relationships between colleagues. It is a mutually beneficial relationship allowing mentors to grow as leaders and mentees to learn from their more experienced counterparts.

Invest in Technology  

Technology can enhance the employee experience in a number of ways. It can foster collaboration, cross-departmental communication, and a smoother workflow. Tech can also provide essential tools HR professionals can use to measure the employee experience and build strategies around that knowledge. Implementing the right tech solutions can help HR teams gather valuable insights about the employee experience, analyze data, create customized plans, and track progress.

When organizations invest in technology that serves employees’ needs, it signifies to those workers their time is valued. The right tech solutions allow employees to do less manual busywork, spend less time struggling with clunky technology, and do more meaningful work. 

Build Relationships, Belonging, Connection

Employees who feel they belong and their voices are heard are more likely to stick around. Workers who are not actively looking to change jobs cited positive relationships with their managers and their teams as one of the reasons they choose to remain in their current positions. Positive relationships between an organization and its employees start with trust. Build trust through communication and transparency, recognizing and celebrating employees’ diverse strengths, contributions and achievements.

As work and life become ever more enmeshed, HR professionals must rethink how they view employee hiring and retention. Being open to remote work will give existing employees the freedom they desire while expanding the pool of talented candidates to fill future vacancies. Allowing employees to grow benefits the whole organization and positions it as one that invests in its people. Implementing these strategies will not only help companies retain the employees they have now but will also help them attract top talent in the future.

Géraldine Bothier has years of experience working with B2B tech companies. As the VP of People at LumApps, Géraldine leads global HR operations and strategy and works closely with the LumApps leadership team and managers on people initiatives, such as coaching, counseling and career development. She also manages a variety of teams covering employer brand, recruitment, HR operations & business partners, L&D, internal communication and more. Previously, Géraldine served as an HR Business Partner at both Deezer and Groupon. Connect Géraldine Bothier