Employee Experience
On-demand Webcast | The Great Resignation: Lessons Learned and Tips to Retain Employees in 2022
There has been a widespread trend of employees quitting their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Known as the ‘Great Resignation,’ research shows this trend may accelerate across Canada raising concerns for employers. But in a tight job market, finding and replacing great talent can often be difficult and costly. So, what can you do to retain talent and navigate this new era of work in 2022?
In SAP Concur’s latest webinar, Brian Veloso (Managing Director, SAP Concur Canada) dug into the latest insights around The Great Resignation and was joined by experts Rhea Dubois-Phillips, General Manager and National Lead, Employee Experience, Edelman Vancouver and Emily Durham, Senior Recruiter, Intuit.
The discussion kicked off with a presentation from Rhea on the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: The Belief-Driven Employee which provided an overview on a new compact between employee and employer and how businesses can win and retain employees. 7,000 employees were surveyed worldwide in 7 markets in which the data revealed:
- Anxiety about job loss remains high. Nearly 8 in 10 employees are worried about losing their jobs to factors ranging from the gig economy and a looming recession to automation and artificial intelligence.
- Pandemic accelerates power shift to employees. 60% of employees believe they have more power and leverage when it comes to creating change within their organizations.
- Burnout now a bottom-line issue. 43% employees believe their employers are not doing well on taking the issue of employee burnout seriously.
Employees are also willing to quit. Among those who feel their employer isn’t addressing burnout, 25% have quit or will quit their job in the next six months. This reveals there is a lot of discontent in the workforce and that is one of the driving forces of the Great Resignation. Employees are willing to make a completely different change to find a workplace that makes them feel better and valued.
So, what do employees need from employers?
Emily says it all comes down to making sure employers understand who the ‘bad guy’ is. The bad guy isn’t turnover. It’s burn out. Employees are asking for flexibility, support and most importantly, to feel valued.
When we think about how work life balance has been redefined, we know we’re no long working a typical 9-5. Employees need employers to be understanding, flexible, and to legitimately allow their employees to relax and reset. Employers must think about how they can implement structured times so employees can recharge and avoid the burnout that comes from the combination of work and the second shift they’re taking on with balancing responsibilities at home.
“Band-aids are only great when you have scrapes.”
Emily used this quote to serve as an important reminder that the Great Resignation is not a scrape. It is a deep wound we will be nursing for some time. Pizza parties and gift cards are not going to be enough. Employers must go deeper; unconditional permission to log off, implementing breaks as needed, normalizing toddlers sitting on laps during meetings are all examples of what this looks like.
Building on Emily’s point above, Rhea says the CEO must be the ‘Chief Empathy Officer’ and that has only intensified as the pandemic has drawn on. The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: The Belief-Driven Employee shows employers are feeling they’ve gone the extra mile to meet employee expectations, yet employees feel like their employer isn’t doing enough. Leading with empathy and listening will need to be at the forefront to bridge the gap and engage employees in the right way.
To hear more insights about the Great Resignation and what you can do to keep your employees happy in 2022, watch the full webinar on-demand: