Dear [employer], It’s me, not you.
Dear [employer], It’s me, not you.
It is never easy getting a breakup note – and in today’s workplace, companies are receiving them in record numbers. Employees exit for greener pastures, and managers and peers try to keep things moving forward with a hole in the staff, creating massive business disruption. Leaders question themselves about what they could have done differently – generous salaries and creative benefits did not keep employees from looking elsewhere. Despite the best efforts, the resignations keep coming. The reality is that once an employee starts looking, it’s already too late. So, with over 11 million job openings in the US, what can be done to keep employees from exploring roles elsewhere?
A recent MetLife study indicates that employees satisfied with their employer providing purposeful work are twice as likely to stay; employees satisfied with their employer’s career development and training are 1.7 times more likely to stay. A study from the Mayo clinic suggests that even just spending 20% of your working day on the most meaningful work dramatically lowers the risk of burnout.
There are big disparities between executives and front-line employees, which contributes to the disconnect. A McKinsey Study found that 70 percent of employees said that their sense of purpose is defined by their work. Whereas 85 percent of execs and upper management said that they are living their purpose at work, only 15 percent of frontline managers and frontline employees agreed. Only 18 percent of respondents believed that they get as much purpose from work as they want. Sixty-two percent said that while they get some purpose from work, they want to get even more.
To keep the magic in your relationship with employees, you have got to show love – meeting each employee’s needs for satisfaction and meaning. Proactively creating meaning for employees can help fend off the dreaded break-up notes, and here are a few suggestions for what that entails in today’s workforce:
- From the top down and the bottom up, leaders must create an environment where unique strengths are identified, supported, and utilized.
- Front-line managers need an understanding of what makes each employee tick – each person is wired differently, but they gain energy and satisfaction from a unique combination of roles, skills, values, and needs.
- A visible commitment to employee satisfaction flows from creative assignments and collaboration among employees with complementary skills.
- Understand the ideal environment for each employee to thrive and create room for differences in how team members can best be themselves.
Offerings like truTM Strength Realization help provide employees with clarity on the sources of their energy and satisfaction in achievement. Supervisors and leaders can also gain insights and better track whether they are creating the right environment for meaningful work, continued development, optimal collaboration, and increased employee retention. Learn more about how truTM Strength Realization can help you and your company avoid getting more break-up notes.
