Preventing the Great Reshuffle

We are all hearing about the Great ReShuffle.

One article I read recently on LinkedIn said up to 40% of our workforce is looking for a new job.

So if you lost 40% of your workforce, how would that affect your organization? Yikes, pretty scary thought isn’t it. So what can you do about it today?

#1 if you have not started building relationships with each employee that works for you, it is time to get busy doing so.

Connections really do matter. In an organization where I deliver leadership training, we conduct a survey on what makes you feel you belong at work. Consistently the top answer is – someone at work cares about me as a person. So how are you making sure your employees know you care?   

Even if you are not a “touchy feely” person, some simple ways to let them know you care include: 

• Asking about their life outside of work
• Truly listening
• Taking time to have regular one-on-one meetings to invest in them and their career
• Providing flexibility when personal situations crop up
• Telling them they are important to you and the company and letting them know the value they bring (saying this more often than just once a year in an annual performance review).

#2 Have a conversation specifically about where they are in terms of this Great Reshuffle.

Yes, this is scary. And if you are not doing #1, it may not be the right conversation to have and you need to start with building that relationship. If you are doing #1, here are some great questions to ask your employee:

1. On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you in your job right now?
2. What would tempt you to leave?
3. What can I as your leader do to support you better?
4. What other work are we doing here that interest you?
5. What do you want to learn more about?

As you are asking these questions, really listen and talk through where the employee is today. You may not have all the answers and you may not be able to prevent them from leaving, yet this conversation will continue to build your relationship.

Don’t just throw more money at them.

I know of one professional who got a significant salary increase but because his relationship with his boss is only transactional, he is feeling pretty frustrated and unappreciated.

Interestingly, I’m also seeing some employees who have left companies now returning after finding out the grass was not greener. And the relationship they had with their direct manager made all the difference in why they are back.

Are we seeing the common theme? #Connections matter.

Debbie Waggoner, CEO of Nodus Performance Consulting has a solid track record of success with Fortune 500 companies, working with individuals, teams, and organizations to improve performance in the areas of leadership, talent development, and teamwork.