Millions Are Leaving The Workforce

According to a study referenced on LinkedIn, more than 24 million Americans chose to leave their jobs in 2021. This trend is growing and has become so prevalent that it’s being commonly referred to as The Great Resignation. People have volunteered several reasons as to why they left a company, often before they had something else lined up. Many have admitted they are burnt out, looking for more flexibility or simply wanting to feel heard, supported and appreciated.

If your organization is having difficulty maintaining personnel, it could be time to take a few small but important steps.

Bring On New Employees

If you need to recruit people to replace former team members who have already left, we are your partner in this endeavor and can help you identify strong candidates. As we mentioned in last month’s Newsletter, we offer an applicant entry system that asks the individuals you screen to provide their information to us, which opens a direct line of communication. Our team delivers a superior level of support and care that enhances the positive experience you’ve established during the initial hiring steps.

Encourage Retention

We pay attention to what human resources experts suggest businesses should do to keep their staff together. A few key recommendations we’ve seen include:

• Invest in your people. Give them the time, training and support they need. Show them they have stability and certainty in their positions.
• Keep screening and onboarding. Finding people can be tough right now, but it is paramount to keep up with best practices to maintain a safe and professional workplace.
• Cultivate synergy. Make sure your team knows you are in this together and that they are valued.
• Provide security. Everyone you hire wants to feel safe and protected. A great way to start is to run comprehensive criminal background checks on all your candidates. To take it even further, request ongoing screenings to see if someone you employ incurs a new criminal record, loses a license or has any other change of which you should be aware.

Consider Stay Interviews

To help keep their teams together, many organizations are conducting Stay Interviews. These are one-on-one meetings run by HR professionals to check in with employees and ask how they’re feeling about their jobs. The discussions are unique opportunities to get honest feedback. They should be personal, empathetic and candid.

If the interviews are managed in a professional, respectful manner, they can provide great insight into how your staff is feeling about their career paths, responsibilities and the company. They can also help interviewers gain a better understanding of how likely people are to stay. Such knowledge is especially important if your business has already lost employees.

Move Forward

The most important thing any organization can do is continue to move forward. Bringing on the right personnel, making sure each person knows they are valued and having candid conversations can help everyone achieve their goals while continuing to work together.