Surviving The Great Resignation

“The Great Resignation”

It’s a term we’ve been reading about a lot lately.

Industry pundits offer a million different reasons why it’s happening. Politicians offer a million more recommendations for bringing it to an end. But even if you ignored all the chatter, even if you didn’t read a single article about the changes going on in today’s economic and employment landscapes, you could just feel that a shift has taken place.

For the first time in recent memory, businesses are altering hours and cutting back services not due to a lack of demand from consumers but due to a labor shortage. I’ve bumped into these experiences just within the past several days:

  • Our favorite coffee joint has dialed-back hours significantly. They’ve pivoted from table service to “pick up at the counter” service when they are open.
  • I tried to book a service appointment for my son’s bike, but the shop informed me they’re no longer doing repairs due to a staff shortage.
  • Our local pub/lunch/dinner hotspot – a place that reliably has a 60-90 minute wait on the weekends – has curtailed hours during off-peak times.

And the list goes on.

There was, however, a bright spot. My family’s favorite breakfast restaurant, a great little place just around the corner from our home, is packed to capacity most mornings. On weekends, you’ll routinely see a line five or six parties deep waiting for seats to open up. They’re fully staffed, and their workers are HUSTLING. It’s a very positive sign and stands as a stark contrast to the prevailing trends of the day.

My son and I stopped in for a sandwich and a cup of coffee a few weeks ago and managed to snag the last two available seats at the counter. The staff was a mix of familiar faces and several new team members, all smiling as they bustled around from table to table. There were laughs and some good-natured barbs thrown around. From our seats, we could see into the kitchen, and it was much the same: a dance of controlled chaos, set to smiles and laughs. It was busy, but above all, it was joyous.

As one of the waitresses brought us our food, I stopped to ask her how things were going. She chuckled and gestured out to the bustling dining floor and said: “take a peek… it’s crazy this morning! I’ll be back in a minute to check on ya’.”

I wanted to ask what kept her and the team so engaged, but before I could, she was off to another table. No time for small talk, it seems.

However, I remember a conversation we had with one of our favorite waitresses shortly after the restaurant reopened for indoor dining earlier this year. She has been there since they opened several years ago, and we were asking her how things were going. We caught up a bit on the general health of our respective families and friends, but during the discussion, she also offered up how great the owners and managers have been. She stated that they really understood the lives of their team members outside of work, about what’s important to staff, and that made it a great place to work.

If you’re an employer looking for your way out of the hiring challenges we see today, or if you’re looking for ways to retain the staff you already have, making sure each worker is viewed and treated as an individual – a distinct member of the team with lives, loves, and interests outside the four walls of your business – is critical to stemming the tide of attrition and becoming a magnet for talent.

At the end of the day, it really is all about listening… ACTIVE listening. That doesn’t mean putting an open text field in an engagement survey and “allowing” employees to share what’s on their minds. It doesn’t mean taking a poll, then ultimately doing nothing with what you learn. It’s about creating an environment of empathy, where employers understand what matters most to employees on a personal level, then offering support.

Schedule flexibility is undoubtedly part of the equation. Creating a positive work environment is also crucial. (Something that’s increasingly challenging in the era of remote work.) But recognizing and supporting the causes that mean the most to each worker represents another way you can demonstrate that you see, respect, and support the whole person… not just the person they are when they’re on the clock.

About Marc:

For nearly three decades, Marc has built his career supporting the marketing needs of B2B technology providers. The majority of this time has been spent in the Human Resources technology sector, working for companies such as SmartTime (acquired by Kronos/UKG, Workscape (acquired by ADP), WorkForce Software, and PeopleFluent. In 2019, Marc launched KickMotor, LLC – a consulting group aimed at helping small and mid-sized companies find their voice and expand their presence in highly competitive fields. Offering everything from fractional CMO services to complete marketing and content strategies, KickMotor brings specific expertise in the areas of HR and payroll technologies. A native New Englander and rabid Boston sports fan, Marc currently resides in North Carolina with his wife, three children, and four dogs.