What if a third of your workforce walked out the door tomorrow? A new survey by Bankrate suggests that over 37% of employees say they’ll be looking for a new job in the next twelve months. With the high cost of voluntary turnover, organizations need to reconsider how to create high-integrity workplaces and cultures where employees feel they belong and want to stay. According to Coqual, a nonprofit think tank, high belonging scores are positively correlated with employees who intend to stay at least two years.
If you want employees to feel as if they belong and therefore choose to stay, consider the following:
1. Recognize your employees’ unique contributions. Especially after the pandemic, employees look for how their presence makes a difference. Consistent recognition helps employees feel better connected, more fulfilled and encouraged to do their best work. Without recognition and a sense of belonging/being valued, employees seek it in other organizations.
2. Help employees connect with and appreciate differences among their coworkers. Many employees do not feel safe discussing their feelings and beliefs. In fact, according to Gartner research, 44% of U.S. employees have avoided talking or collaborating with co-workers because of their political beliefs. When employees edit their feelings or comments, they become more isolated and begin to wonder about finding a better fit.
3. Support employees’ career development. A perceived lack of career development is consistently listed as a top reason employees resign. According to a recent HBR article, many career development conversations and encouragement about advancement potential happened too late, after an employee had decided to resign. It is important to have regular conversations and to create clear, personalized growth plans and trajectories.
4. Build pride in your organization’s values and purpose. Employees want to be aligned with the values and purpose of the work they do. In fact, when employees believe in the work that they do, they’re four times more likely to be engaged, motivated, fulfilled and inclined to stay.
With the complexity and intensity of work expectations, leaders can easily focus on work tasks and miss opportunities to build meaningful relationships with and among employees. Managers and supervisors are key to creating cultures where employees are more likely to stay.
View our 20 ideas for Recognizing Employees for What is Most Important to Them.
For more information on how Innolect can help you grow leaders who understand how to build creative, high-integrity workplaces where employees thrive, contact us today.
Kittie W. Watson, Ph.D.
President and Founder
kittiew@innolectinc.com