The expectation in the market is for the candidate shortage to continue in the foreseeable future. We really are in a race for talent and we are now competing with home, not just other companies. Attraction and retention are a whole new ball game. A leader who can create an engaging environment with their remote or hybrid teams will be highly sought after. The soft skills that we know are essential for engaging teams will be required more in the future. Innovative ideas and strategies to implement them will become increasingly important.
Australia is one of a few countries where, despite having a high quality of life, employees are disengaged at work. According to Gallup, the level of engagement increased by 5% from 2017-2021. Remote working is certainly here to stay, and the question I pose is, "Why are people more engaged at home than they are at work? Is it that we are being more productive because we want to spend time with our families?" Leaders need to encourage employees to be more committed to their roles than they are at the moment or they will start looking at the colour of the grass next door. What level of engagement is required for people to be adequately fulfilled with their work? How can we compete with home life as an organisation? How can we improve the engagement of our people?
Top employees leave companies when they have reason to believe that the grass is greener elsewhere. Essentially, they are not engaged in there work. Why is that? Are they reassessing their work life? Is the work boring to them? Do they not see a future with the company? Are they feeling stagnant and not sure where the next step in their career is. These questions can be asked during the one-on-ones to improve the understanding of an employees values, goals and desires. Listening to your employees goes a long way to improving engagement. The number one reason for leaving on many exit interview in this market is "more money" but this is rarely the real reason. This is an easy out people provide when they don't want to upset anyone. Money is a consideration but rarely a decision maker. An engaged employee working in a psychologically safe team will tell their manager that they had been approached for another role. They would not accept another contract without a conversation. This is the truth that many managers do not want to hear.
A role with higher flexibility, more interesting work, greater fulfillment and more money might indeed have you in a pasture with the happy cows. Never forget though, if you are in a great company doing work you love with a supportive manager who will listen to your concerns, you are unlikely to leave because you know watering the grass where you are will reap dividends.
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