As employers source new talent to combat the Great Resignation, they are overlooking the growing burden and stress on current employees left to pick up the extra work. As these employees burn out, the turnover grows, increasing the talent recruitment challenges for employers.
According to recent studies, 56% of women said they’re burned out, along with 51% of men. And it’s worse for younger employees – 62% of the 18-34 demographic report burnout.
How to break this cycle? Increase communication with existing employees.
- Recognition. Take time each week to recognize employees for their hard work and the added burden of work to cover vacant positions. While frustrated with the extra work, when employees know their boss recognizes their contributions and support, morale improves.
- Status. Keep employees up to date on the status of recruitment efforts. If they believe there is no end in sight or have no insight to the work being done to fill the vacant position(s), they are left to feel hopeless and frustrated which can lead to them searching for new opportunities.
- Time off. Consider offering employees additional time off or more flexibility in their schedule. Knowing they can make time for family or personal interests can make working longer hours more bearable. Empowerment can improve morale and boost productivity.
- Offer support. Managers should frequently check in with employees to understand areas that might be causing angst or frustration, or challenges they feel overwhelmed with trying to solve. Consider ways you might offer support for your team members to ease the stress.
- Survey. If you have a large team or a mostly remote team, and it’s difficult to engage 1:1, a simple survey to gauge the current morale, challenges and needs of your team can go a long way in building trust, and can show employees much-needed empathy during a particularly difficult time.
While this particular moment can be a serious challenge for managers, it also offers an opportunity to double down on employee engagement to fuel employee retention that can combat the Great Resignation.
Contact us today to learn more about our modern approach to performance management and development that actually improves the manager and employee relationship. Don’t just take our word for it, see what our Customers have to say.
