Choices, decisions all done and finished have led me here. Here to this place of reflection. Old times gone, right and wrong have led me here. Here to this place of reflection. (Mario William Vitale)
Keeping all of your employees satisfied is hard enough during business-as-usual times. Doing so during the business-as-unusual #BAUU COVID era is a Herculean task that requires a deep understanding of human nature.
Over 15 million Americans have quit their jobs since April, with more expected to follow suit. The phenomenon, called the “Great Resignation” or the “Great Attrition”, is yet another profound and long-lasting impact of the pandemic that many employers are wholly unprepared for.
Although there has not been enough data to conclude if this is a global trend or limited to the United States only, I believe we can all agree that disruptions are coming to labour markets everywhere, and for various reasons.
As I predicted many months ago, employees who get used to working from home/working from anywhere are not so eager to go back to their cubicles. And this is just one among many driving forces behind the “Great Resignation.”
People acquiring different perspectives are now having other priorities in life, big cities are losing their appeal, industries are being realigned, the meaning of “work” is pivoting. Any of these factors can and will upend your business’ workforce. So, what can you do about it?
We have both good news and bad news for you. The bad news is you cannot solve this problem by throwing money at it. The good news is you also do not need to throw money at the problem to solve it.
In other words, regardless of how the ongoing pandemic is affecting your business, you should still be able to engage and motivate your people.
What you need is a reflection on the art of employee motivation.
Herzberg's motivation theory is an incredibly powerful tool for business leaders to unlock the power of employee satisfaction in such a turbulent time.
At the very heart, Herzberg's theory recognizes that going from dissatisfaction to satisfaction is not one linear path. Hence, eliminating a factor that causes dissatisfaction does not necessarily increase satisfaction.
This implies an organisation needs to work on both reducing dissatisfaction and driving satisfaction at the same time.
On one hand, the set of factors that helps tamp down dissatisfaction are called “hygiene factors.” They include factors like salary, company policies, working conditions, and job security.
On the other hand, “motivating factors” such as recognition, growth, and achievement are those that can foster satisfaction.
Even though the motivation theory’s fundamentals seem rather hard to grasp at first, its application is thankfully very straightforward. You need to make sure your people are not dissatisfied before you can make them satisfied.
Given the ongoing labour disruptions, it is tempting to think a raise is all that’s needed to prevent employees from quitting. While it may work, not least in the short run, it only means your people won’t become disgruntled. It does not stop them from constantly looking for sweeter offers out there in the job market, which they will. In my upcoming BAUU book, I call this addressing the s(t)inkers and making them floaters which is part of my I AM OK to Fly model that addresses this issue head-on.
In addition to fair compensation, you need to provide your employees with more sustainable motivators such as a sense of appreciation, opportunities for growth, and the purpose of their work. I refer to these as flyers.
None of what I have mentioned so far can be considered groundbreaking or revolutionary. We just have to relearn what was already known.
In one of my previous CEO Letters last year, I asked what was the last time you talked to your employees with openness and sincerity. One year and a few COVID waves later, the question is as relevant as ever.
Of course, people also quit because they have to, not that they want to. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), half of the global workforce will need to be upskilled or reskilled by 2025. And the pandemic not only accelerates that process but also hinder the much needed upskill and reskill effort.
Consequently, the ability to provide tailored training courses to your employees anytime, anywhere would be of great importance to ensure a long and productive between them and your business.
This is also the key idea behind TRG Academy, an on-demand training platform built to accommodate lifelong learning needs for our staff, our clients’ end-users, and any individual who wants to upskill themselves.
With great attrition comes great reflection (unsurprisingly I’ve built a coaching model and we’ve a mastermind course coming to TRG Academy). The pandemic-related labour disruptions are presenting business leaders with a mandate to learn and relearn the art of keeping our people happy and motivated.
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