Americans are quitting their jobs in record numbers. Government data shows that a record 4.5 million people resigned in November 2021. No doubt about it, the world of work has changed and the only thing we can say for sure is that it will continue to change.

Now more than ever, competition is fierce for talent—if you want to attract new talent and keep your current employees happy, here’s a few things you can do NOW.

Live your values. We see this time and time again; values that are just words but don’t really mean anything. Savvy employees want to:
- work for a company that reflects their personal values
- be connected to something bigger than themselves
- feel proud of where they work
Onboard well. Have a thoughtful and unique onboarding process for each role. New employees were likely wooed by your recruiting team. Now that they are here, you don’t want them to regret that decision.
Remain flexible. The labor market will continue to be fluid, through the pandemic and beyond. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article “Flexibility is now the fastest-rising job priority in the U.S., according to a poll of more than 5,000 LinkedIn members.”
Provide opportunities for growth. Most employees don’t want to do the same thing for the rest of their careers. Once an employee demonstrates both competence and confidence in their role, they may be ready for a new challenge, and you’ll want to make sure they don’t jump ship to find it. If a promotion isn’t an option, consider providing training so they can develop a new skill, a rotation to another team, or lateral move within the organization.

If you can’t tell me what your organization’s values are, AND the deliberate ways you demonstrate them in your work, I guarantee your employees can’t either.

What will their first day, week, month, year look like? How will they learn the tasks of their job, build relationships, understand the company culture? How will they truly feel welcome and part of the team?

Find ways to stay in touch with your employees and understand their career goals. Requiring full-time, on-site staff just may not be realistic for some roles anymore. You are going to need to talk with your staff, conduct focus-groups, or hire an outside firm to gather data so you can get this right.

Give this some thought, talk with your team, and then roll up your sleeves, it’s time to get to work.