It seems like everybody I talk to these days is, at a minimum, rethinking their career and re-assessing their job and the way they’ve been working. Many are literally ready to jump ship… ready to say buh-bye…All set to say sayonara suckers!

According to a study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 65% of all Americans were looking for a new job as of September, and that number was almost doubled since May.

It seems to be as contagious as Covid – the “I Hate My Job Pandemic,” but people are no longer seeing their work as their lives. Rather, they want to find work that fits their lives. 

Let’s face it, the pandemic has caused people to re-assess the way they’re living and working. And once they’ve gotten a taste of working from home, many are determined to have more flexibility in their lives. 

Don’t get me wrong, most are not looking for 100% remote work, just a break from the old hustle and grind, the frenetic hamster wheel or rat race that they were living before.

Now, I know this will seem counterintuitive, and maybe even controversial, but here it goes anyway… If one of your team members comes to you and says she’s hitting the bricks, possibly the best thing you can do is … “bless and release” her. 

Think about it – if she’s already made up her mind that she’s leaving and maybe even has another job, then it’s probably futile to try to get her to stay. And even if she agreed to stay, would she really be “in it to win it?” I think not. 

So what can you do? Your best plan to stem the tide of the turnover tsunami is to be proactive and hang on to the team members you’ve got before they start looking elsewhere. 

Think about:

• Being more like Gumby. Flexibility. How can you bake it into your work culture? Does a marketing position absolutely require a 9-5 schedule in the office, or could there be some flexibility there?

• Putting the ‘human’ back in human resources. (And I’m not talking about the department.)  Focus on employee well-being. Consider the whole person. Many feel like they’ve been hit by a stress meteor. Give them some grace. Lead with empathy.

• Love ‘em or lose ‘em. Rethink compensation and benefits. Sure, money can’t buy happiness if someone is seriously unhappy in his job. But it seems that some of ya’ll would rather pay a brand new employee more than you’re paying your loyal team members who’ve been with you for years. (And you know who you are. Shame on you!)

• People crave connection and community. You can read the stats about the pandemic increasing feelings of isolation, loneliness, disconnection, and depression among team members. Make extra efforts to have informal conversations where you inquire how each individual is doing, both personally and professionally – and this is the kicker – then really listen. On. A. Regular. Basis. 

• Geaux green. This has nothing to do with the ecology or the environment, but rather the work environment. What kind of growth and development opportunities do you offer? Personally, I’d rather mistake Tabasco for eye drops than be stuck in a job doing the same ole, lame ole tasks with no hope for advancement or learning new things. And I think most people feel the same.  

I know this “Big Quit” that we’re experiencing can be vurry, vurry frustrating. They say that many employees don’t quit their jobs, they quit their managers. As a leader, you can be part of the problem or you can be part of the solution. I hope you’ll choose the latter.   

I’ll be your guide on the side to help you THRIVE through these unchartered territories rather than just survive. Schedule a complimentary discovery call here: https://calendly.com/jennifer-ledet

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Why Your Employees Should Stop Thinking Like Employees

Jennifer Ledet, CSP, is a leadership consultant and professional speaker (with a hint of Cajun flavor) who equips leaders from the boardroom to the mailroom to improve employee engagement, teamwork, and communication.  In her customized programs, leadership retreats, keynote presentations, and breakout sessions, she cuts through the BS and talks through the tough stuff to solve your people problems.

Photo by Mantas Hesthaven on Unsplash