As recruiters, we have our finger on the pulse of employee perceptions. We interact with people who are on the cusp of making that important decision – to stay or not to stay. In that no-man’s land of employers, between the old and the new, what are the factors that can influence your employee to stay?
1. Flexibility
Topmost on every employee’s wish-list is a flexible workplace. Please note that it is not simply about flexibility of time and place, it is also about having supportive management with a flexible mindset. Someone who can understand that children have online school and that the parent might not be able to take a call at a certain time due to that, or that a family member in another city or country might be sick, and that it might be difficult to focus and perform optimally with that thought. Interestingly, people are willing to work longer hours to meet targets, provided those targets are reasonable, achievable, and agreed upon.
2. Result Orientation
Employees are motivated to own their targets and responsibilities, without the additional layers of activity reporting and monitoring. It is true for the pandemic scenario that while employers feared that there would be a drop in productivity with a ‘Work From Home’ arrangement, the reality did not reflect that. There was in many cases an increase in productivity because employees felt valued and motivated to work harder.
3. Meetings at Reasonable Hours
One of the biggest challenges of the pandemic situation is that office hours have extended well beyond the norm. While some extension is expected, given that employees with children are more available after school hours, no one appreciates meetings that start after dinner-time. Employees would like to have office hours spelt out and respected, even if they are extended. The same applies to holidays.
4. Educational Opportunities
Employees want to build on and learn new skills. There is a new-found interest amongst employees of wanting to press their limits to become more competitive in their fields. Employees are eager to learn and appreciate companies that provide them with the opportunity to do so. This may stem from a latent job security issue, but companies can capitalize on this and provide access to learning as a motivational tool.
5. Stable Leadership
Employees are surrounded by change in their personal life and the world in general. They want to cling to any semblance of continuity and leadership that their workplace can provide. There have been instances when entire teams have gotten unbalanced because of a change of leadership. Now with lines of management hanging more tenuous than ever, with limited personal connects, it is important to nurture the familiar. Companies will gain from investing in their current leadership.
It is important for us to acknowledge that the Covid pandemic has forever changed the way the world and companies work. Someone has insightfully said, that from 2021 onwards, it is no longer about getting the most out of people, but about getting the best. So, how can your company go about doing that?