It’s time to hop on the retention train … before it leaves the station for good.
A few months back, we introduced The Business Transformation Network (BTN), a global media community for business change. Since that time, we’ve collaborated with their team of innovators to plan an exclusive roundtable discussion with HR executives from leading U.S. enterprise organizations. The topic? Employee retention of course. Because unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve heard of The Great Resignation. And it’s time to pay attention. Although this genuinely exhilarating session is behind us, we’re still spinning with ideas and inspiration from this truly extraordinary group of like-minded professionals! We’re grateful for their honest feedback, and we’re excited to share the creative, innovative approaches that resulted from our highly engaged dialogue. First, however, we can’t help but acknowledge the unmistakable shift in energy that occurred throughout this fascinating 90-minute discussion:A time to reflect
At the start of this compelling conversation, one thing was clear: HR is tired. After more than a year of blocking and tackling through a pandemic, this often overlooked and underappreciated function has been left burnt out and emotionally exhausted. Our forum provided a safe space for leaders in all industries to address the reality of the working dynamic today… the good, the bad and the ugly. We discussed common challenges and shared downfalls, as we’re all in this together and thus all learning together too. By the end of the conversation, however, the mood had shifted. Significantly! Why? Because we acknowledged that half the battle was sheer validation! As cliche as sounds, the last year has been unprecedented. And frightening. And confusing. And completely unknown. To hear the same struggles and emotions from a group of peers provided a sense of relief and renewed hopefulness. And from there, it only got better.Addressing the elephant(s) in the room
For those waiting for the working world to return to “normal,” please don’t hold your breath; it’s not happening. The landscape has changed, and it will continue to change in our post-pandemic reality. Roundtable participants from all segments earnestly agreed on this. Whatever the future of work ends up looking like, it’s undoubtedly going to be different. We unpacked a few key factors that HR executives are seeing across the board:Employees want flexibility
Employees are now empowered
Employees aren’t afraid to walk
