64% of employers struggle with labor shortages

The ‘Great Resignation‘ has changed the working landscape. Millions have left the office, and those remaining are trying to fill the gaps with new hires and by taking on more.

Of course, additional responsibility and workloads is leading to mass burnout, and employee engagement software company Achievers Workforce Institute has found that 41% of people are looking for new jobs in 2022.

As part of the company’s 2022 Engagement and Retention Report, which surveyed 5,500 employees around the world, the company assessed the state of the workforce and what can be done to improve the situation.

Losing employees

On the back of the ‘Great Resignation’, 64% of respondents reported that their employers had not been able to find new team members to support them. Additionally, 41% of employees felt added pressure in their roles.

Worryingly these new pressures have come without extra incentives for staff. 70% have had to take on more responsibilities without a pay bump or promotion, 69% have worked longer hours, and 58% of employees have seen their professional development has taken a backseat.

On top of all this, 13% of employees report feeling disengaged, and 9% are completely disengaged.

With all this in mind, it is understandable that employees are beginning to look at new opportunities.

Speaking about this situation, Achievers’ Chief workforce scientist, Dr Natalie Baumgartner, commented: “The continuing pandemic and introduction of the ‘Great Resignation’ has put a strain on workforces, diminishing company culture, career progression, and engagement.

“This spike in turnover and the isolation of remote work has contributed to a weaker sense of belonging for many employees.

Baumgartner added: “This lack of belonging is pushing workers out the door as they pursue new job opportunities with the hope of finding workplaces they feel valued and supported in.”

The report notes that a lack of belonging and company culture is a major issue for employees. 62% of employees would be more engaged at work if their employer improved its company culture.

However, improving this area can be difficult; returning to the office won’t magically fix issues with culture, but communication is key.

Whether it’s remote or in person, businesses need to take pulse surveys and see what the experience of their employees is like.

Once this data is collected, companies can begin taking steps to implement strategies that will improve culture. This can range from events to more personal courses.

Of course, these pulse surveys need to be done repeatedly to understand the needs of the business.

In terms of areas to focus on as you begin finding out how your employees are feeling, Achievers recommends that companies begin with recognizing the achievements of staff and driving a feeling of inclusion.

When it comes to supporting staff, the report highlights three key areas; organizational support, manager support, and colleague support.

Organizational support requires drawing attention to the resources that employees have that may be of use to them. A good example is education courses, which are often overlooked but can provide an avenue for development.

Manager support means helping your leaders in four areas. These are contact, recognition, professional, development, and coaching. With a dispersed workforce, the need for this investment has never been so prominent.

Stephen Duncan, executive vice president EMEA at United Minds, told UNLEASH: “We need to enable managers and equip managers to manage people during hybrid working, and it’s something that we need to be very intentional about because this is here to stay. “

When it comes to colleague support, employees need to feel comfortable asking for help and communicating across teams. This enables the fostering of culture.

Finally, you need to invest in your resources that enable employee connection in-person and remotely.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to invest in culture and belonging.