There is article after article about what has been termed “The Great Resignation”. I personally wrote a couple of articles focused on the importance of employee engagement and retention back in July, and this reality is not going away any time soon.

With that said, making your employees your main priority is critical. Instead of worrying about what might be, it is important to stay in the present and identify the best ways to keep your current employees engaged, inspired, motivated, and committed! This requires open communication, understanding what is important to them, and focusing on the relationship.

Recently, I was engaged in a conversation with a prospective client. During our conversation, I helped her address an in the moment issue she was facing. Those few minutes made a world of difference for her and she said, “Thank you! I hope you have someone giving you just as much support as you gave to me in this limited time.”

Those words rang extremely loud in my ears, as I had just been speaking earlier in the week with a Head of HR who has had a really challenging 18 months, as most HR professionals have. She said something along the lines of…“With all of the changing protocols in the workplace, helping certain employees adjust to working from home, keeping up with regulations, etc., it’s been tough!” And, she shared with me that she doesn’t even have a “seat at the table”. When I asked her where she gets support from, she acknowledged that she has her small team, but that wasn’t what I meant! Imagine how undervalued this individual feels.

Identify What Support is Meaningful to the Individual

Human Resources Professionals are known for taking care of the people within their organization. The problem is, all to often, no one is considering that they need support as well! Where can they turn? To their senior leaders? In theory, yes, but sometimes they are not the confidants that HR needs in a given moment. Human Resources professionals have been overwhelmed with demands since the outbreak of the pandemic. It makes sense to strategically plan for the right type of support – such as an executive coach or mentor, for the head of HR, just as organizations regularly provide support for those employees they wish to develop and retain.

Right now, with the risk of losing key employees, focusing on engaging and retaining all of your employees is essential.

I had a conversation recently with a COO who is losing a key employee. She recognized that now is a critical time to listen to and engage with her employees even more than what has been the norm. She knows this is an essential time to gain understanding around what they want and need. Now is the time to not only focus on the relationship and lead with empathy, but to provide them with well-deserved recognition and to invest in them in a meaningful way to them. This could mean a variety of possibilities including:

• Create a stretch opportunity from which they can learn and grow
• Evaluate what could come off of their plate to free them up to work on priorities that fill their sense of purpose
• Provide essential resources to help them develop skills for their next opportunity
• Offer them support to optimize their current strengths

This list will grow based on what the COO hears from her employees!  She recognizes the value of and wants them to be part of the solution so that they get excited about what they are signing up for.

Don’t wait too long to recognize and engage your employees. And don’t forget to develop and maintain authentic relationships. Looking for ideas of what’s possible for you or your employees? Let’s connect.

“Everyone talks about building a relationship with your customer. I think you build one with your employees first.” – Angela Ahrendts