The Great Reflection

Leaders who see the “Great Resignation” as simply a retention issue may be focused on surface-level root causes, looking to retention bandages to stop the resignation bleeding. This is the equivalent of bringing a salary increase to a knife fight. Digging deeper, we believe it is a “Great Reflection” that has been driving people’s actions. Through this lens, leaders will uncover opportunity and smarter answers to their talent challenges.

The numbers don’t lie. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that an unprecedented 47 million American workers voluntarily left their jobs in 2021. Many would agree that this was fueled primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why do they leave?? While most do not debate the numbers, there is much discussion, data, and debate on WHY people are quitting their jobs: lower pay, limited benefits, lack of flexibility with work location or work schedule, retirement, relocation, organizational reshuffling, opportunities to advance or grow and learn, child care issues, and so on. All of these potential reasons make rational sense. If someone has an opportunity to significantly increase their salary, why wouldn’t they want to go for it? If someone wants to advance and grow, but no opportunity is in sight, why wouldn’t they dust off the resume and explore options? If someone wants to work from home, but their current employer doesn’t allow that flexibility, why wouldn’t they search for more flexibility? If someone is working in a toxic environment, why wouldn’t they want to run? If someone feels disrespected or a lack of trust at work, why would they want to put up with it? If someone feels lonely and disconnected at work, why wouldn’t they seek greater connection and inclusion? While COVID seems to be the popular impetus behind the “Great Resignation”, people were asking themselves these questions WAY before 2020. They were also taking action, or in the least thinking about searching for new and different options, before the pandemic hit. ?

Don’t blame COVID. Of course, COVID is easy to blame, and while it has certainly fueled the unprecedented numbers of people resigning between 2021 and 2022, it is not the root cause for the “Great Resignation”. If you dig just a little deeper into the Bureau’s data, the record 2021 ‘quit’ numbers are a continuation of a longer-term trend of steadily increasing annual resignation rates. So, while 2021 can proudly wear the badge of the “The Big Quit”, the trend has been growing for quite some time.

Millions of people during COVID—and before—felt that their basic needs at work were not being met.

Food, water, shelter. COVID became very real for all of us in March of 2020. Almost overnight we were forced to reflect on our priorities and how we were going to get by. We shared several thought pieces on LinkedIn in 2020: “Food, Water, Shelter”; “Virtual Connecting While Social Distancing”; and “Building or Destroying Trust in Moments of Truth”, to name a few.? Each piece emphasized the basic needs we all have at home and at work, and our primal instinct to take action when our needs are not being met. We also emphasized the critical role leaders play—more on this in a moment. COVID caused our work and non-work worlds to collide in big ways, throwing any sense of work-life rhythm out the window. We all started to reflect more on what our essential needs were—both literally and figuratively. Because our work and our life needs are inextricably linked, when life needs are not met, it impacts our work, and when work needs are not met, it impacts our life. Millions of people during COVID—and before—felt that their basic needs at work were not being met. In summary, the global pandemic has been a propellant for what we call The Great Reflection.

THE TWO DIMENSIONS OF THE “GREAT REFLECTION”

The FIRST DIMENSION of the Great Reflection – millions of people reflecting on what they really need. As humans, what we DO is influenced by what we FEEL and THINK. This is how our brains work—nothing new here. In applying this to the work context, we can say that if people feel that their basic needs are not being satisfied, those feelings will lead to thoughts and action. But what are our basic needs at work? We have found that they align directly with the fundamental dimensions of “Organizational Climate”—one’s perception of their local work environment, or ‘how it feels to work where I work’. Organizational climate research shows that this has a significant influence on one’s self-motivation to work hard and bring their full energy to the job, directly impacting things like engagement, productivity, and bottom-line organizational results. ?

Organizational Climate dimensions (basic needs) include:?

• how much flexibility I have at work;?
• the level of clarity I have on goals and priorities and how my role fits in;
• how collaborative my work environment is;
• how much commitment I feel to our purpose and work;
• how connected & included I feel;
• how empowered I feel;
• the extent to which my job is an energy source or drain;
• how much feedback I get in the form of recognition, rewards, and opportunities;
• is there a clear standard of excellence being reinforced;?
• and how much trust & respect I feel.

While the level of need people have for each dimension varies, if people feel that too many dimensions are not being satisfied, they may well start to think things like, “the grass must be greener somewhere else”, or, “why should I give it my all if my manager doesn’t care about me”, “this is not the right place for me”, and, “I have no future here”. These thoughts can then easily lead to actions like investigating other organizations and roles, dusting off that resume, giving notice, and, in many cases, staying in the job while having mentally resigned.

What organizations need to understand and embrace is that the most powerful retention and engagement tool is the climate people feel at work—and that climate is disproportionately influenced by leaders.

The pandemic has sparked deeper levels of conscious and unconscious reflection, along with a heightened sense of self-awareness and self-advocacy. There will always be examples of people resigning from their job in pursuit of more money—and for the right person or critical role, offering more money can be a pointed retention strategy. However, organizations over-relying on money, titles, and promotions as their primary talent retention tools is a cautionary tale—they will never win the money game. What organizations need to understand and embrace is that the most powerful retention and engagement tool is the climate people feel at work—and that climate is disproportionately influenced by leaders. ?

The SECOND DIMENSION of the Great Reflection – leaders reflecting on their actions. To all senior leaders and every leader of people up and down the organizational chart—if you do not see the unprecedented number of employee resignations as a wake-up call for you and your role as a leader, you are missing an unprecedented opportunity to impact people’s lives for the better, and to drive positive results. Look in the mirror. This is your moment of truth.?

To be blunt, you are quite possibly the primary reason people have resigned—or stayed. Let that sink in for a second. While they likely won’t tell you as much during the exit interview, all of the clues are there. If your team’s basic needs are not being met—i.e. the climate dimensions—you run the risk of experiencing low performance and productivity, low engagement, and high levels of turnover. Not to mention that you likely aren't enjoying your time at work much either.

You are in the spotlight. The number one driver of the climate your people feel at work is YOUR behavior. You create a climate for your team whether you are intentional about it or not, and that climate drives their feelings, thoughts, and actions. Period. Right now, do you know what that climate is for your team, and is it what your people need? ?

Many senior leaders do not have the courage to hold leaders in their organizations accountable for being good leaders.

Unfortunately, too many leaders are quick to blame COVID, virtual and hybrid work challenges, culture, HR, policies, and other factors for low engagement and the “Great Resignation”. In addition, many senior leaders do not have the courage to hold leaders in their organizations accountable for being good leaders. There are no consequences for being a bad leader. In too many organizations, good leadership hasn’t been defined beyond a generic list of leadership competencies. This comes at an unprecedented cost. If a mere fraction of the 47 million people who resigned in 2021 did so because of the climate they were experiencing at work, the cost of finding, securing, and onboarding their replacements—should you be lucky enough to find the right person—is positively astronomical.??

A Moment of Truth.?

To senior leaders—take time for your own Great Reflection on the true root causes of your talent issues. Set new expectations for what it truly means to be a good leader in your organization, and create standards for how you will inspect the quality of leaders you have at every level. Reflect and take action. Reflection is free if you choose to do it, and while improving the quality of leaders at all levels will require an investment of energy, time, and money, the cost of NOT doing it is exponentially higher.???

To any leader of people at any level, from CEO to front line supervisor—this is the time for your own personal Great Reflection on the awesome responsibility you have as a leader. You are in the most important role in your organization, as the impact and influence you have on people’s lives and your organization’s results is very real. Have you been a good leader through COVID? Are you focused every day on understanding the basic needs of your team and leaning in to satisfy those needs by managing the work through leading and enabling your people? Reflect and take action. There are most likely several things you can do differently - starting today - to become a true climate-creator.??