After recently running several LinkedIn polls, we found that over a third of working professionals actively seeking a new role this year, and nearly 47% stating that they are feeling more confident in the job market we share why this time of year is crucial to check-in with your employees.
Acknowledge the past 6 months to a year
There is no doubt that the past 2 years has been a challenge for us all – be it for managers or employees. One thing is for certain that after what we all have experienced with lockdowns and remote or new flexible ways of working, these have acted as a trigger for many professionals wanting to alter their ‘career goalposts.’
Managers should not automatically assume that the ambitions or personal objectives mentioned in previous appraisals 6-12 months ago are the same today – in fact it won’t be uncommon for more professionals to be swapping progression and compensation for perks that actively address work-life balance.
Are your staff happy?
With the prevalence of remote working, it may be more difficult to see signs that your employees are not happy.
By and large the normal red flags of a decline of productivity, poor or unhelpful attitude towards colleagues, taking frequent sick days or being uncountable for long periods at a time, are all signs that it is time to sit down and check-in with your employee.
Whilst there may be grievances your end that you want to raise – such as poor performance, missing deadlines, and complaints from staff – it is important to give your staff the floor first and to assess whether there may be more context behind the recent change in attitude.
Aid the retention of your team
The key to improving retention is to tackle it from the very start and identifying and selecting candidates who are likely to remain at the company for some time. This is not just about cultural fit alone, other things such as their professional ambitions, enthusiasm towards the type of tasks they will be working on, and passion towards what the company stands for, all play a role in long term retention.
Training and progression opportunities are an obvious one but surprisingly many companies are always too slow to implement this at the right time.
If the past 2 years has taught us anything, is that tailored benefits, solid and transparent communication, and investment in technology and smart working practices all help to keep employees happy in work.
