In this blog, we share our 6 steps to use the great resignation to your advantage with information directly from the horse’s month, active job seeking candidates.

1. Give staff career progression opportunities – Have a clear career progression plan

High performing talent are always looking for ways to improve their own performance and position, and our high performing candidates often ask about career development and progression plan when considering a new role, so having this in place means you will be attracting the right people. 

Providing a sense of direction creates purpose and motivation which can be incredibly rewarding for candidates and will ensure your top talent sticks around.

When there is inadequate progression or minimal professional enrichment, talent is likely to go in search of greener pastures where their professional goals can be reached.

2. Foster an inclusive and positive workplace culture

A workplace culture plays a vital part on employee retention. It is not uncommon for candidates to tell us they’ve left previous roles because of toxic relationships with colleagues. While no workplace is going to be perfectly harmonious, a foundation of mutual respect is central to achieving a positive working environment. If that respect does not exist at all, the workplace can quickly become somewhere employees don’t want to be. Culture starts at the top, which leads us to our next point…

3. Hire good managers

We have all heard that “People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers”, while this is not always the case, the employee/manager relationship can be a big part of why people leave their jobs.

Unhealthy manager/employee relationships can lead to decreased engagement, performance, lower confidence and motivation, and eventually drive employees to seek other work.

While all employees and managers don’t have to be the best of friends, (actually this is discouraged),managers do need to support, empower, and create an environment that fosters comfort and performance. 

4. Reward and recognise your staff

When your staff feel that their leaders value their performance and efforts, it helps to foster better employer/manager relationships and they are more likely to stay. While pay raises and bonuses can be a great motivator, they are not the only way to recognise effort and achievement. It’s often the smaller, quieter things that can really make a difference. This can be as simple as public praising an employee’s contributions to a project – it only takes a moment but could have a big impact on their engagement.

It doesn’t always need to be big activities either – days out, parties, or mass rewards can be unsustainable. Smaller, regular activities such as after work drinks on a Friday or company sports teams are important to give employees a sense of achievement and pride.

5. Strengthen your team dynamic

Foster positive interprofessional relationships through team building. Team building exercises and activities can be an ideal way to bring everyone together and increase morale, improve cohesion or recognise good results.

Additionally, establishing and communicating a clear vision (either of the company or specific team) can go a long way towards motivating the team and ensuring everyone is headed in the same direction. People need to understand both the individual and overall focus to know how they, as employees, fit into this grand plan, and how their day-to-day work influences the rest of the team

6. Review or create your employee value proposition

What is your employee value proposition? Do you even have one? An Employee Value Proposition or EVP is what makes your organisations an attractive place to work, and more importantly it is how you retain your talent in tight markets. Review your benefits, culture, managers, project pipeline, career development opportunities and even your team dynamic – are they in line with the market and your employees are looking for? If not seek their feedback on how to adjust your EVP. 

If you have any questions around retaining or attracting top talent, get in contact with Harrison McMillan today at enquiries@harrisonmcmillan.com.au.

Filed under Insights                        Date published :  May 17, 2024                   Author :Rachelle Delaporte