The Great Resignation! The Big Quit! Quiet quitting! 
Different Names, One Problem. YOUR WORKPLACE CULTURE SUCKS

The Great Resignation! The Big Quit! Quiet quitting! Different Names, One Problem. YOUR WORKPLACE CULTURE SUCKS

In the last 18 months, we have all been bombarded with articles, interviews, and global statistics on the Great Resignation. The topic has been an item on top of the agenda of many HR and leadership meetings, and we, consultants, were repeatedly approached for advice and guidance on the same!

As an HR and workplace culture consultant, I am now used to the industry coming up with buzzwords and trends that sway the attention of HR Leaders and divert the mass business population from matters that really matter.

The Great Resignation, The Big Quit, Quiet Quitting were terms trending in the industry, in my view pertaining to one Problem, TOXIC workplace culture.

So, from the numbers and studies done so far, yes, it is established that THE GREAT GRAND BIG RESIGNATION is happening, and it is a phenomenon worth looking into. We get it. Many service providers and big consulting companies happily used this trend to articulate new policies and sell more services to help companies and leaders address the impact of the Great Resignation on the bottom line. Views, clicks, and likes are high now, and it sells. But, if we really zoom further in, we can simply tell that the Great Resignation is not something new that HR and businesses are struggling with, it was there, it will always be there if we do not take action and address workplace culture matters.


I am astonished to witness that it took the world of business, a global pandemic such as covid-19 to notice and speak about the Great Resignation. It has been a fact and a trend that I have been witnessing and talking about for the last 18 years as an employee engagement specialist. What we have been missing so far is just the label, the hashtag, and the trend to make it top Google search rankings, but I guess that’s how the world is rolling now. So, we’d better ride the wave.


So, if we look at the glass half full, it is amazing that we got business leaders' attention to a critical matter in the world of human resources/people. Why are people leaving, and how can we make them stay? In fact, if anything, Covid 19 was a bliss, to get leaders look into HR and workplace culture as a strategic matter and start taking action.

Do you really care about your employees/people not leaving your organisation? Do you really want to understand how to support them, make them stay, and make your business prosper? If you do, here are a few tips from the real world! No hashtags attached.

LISTEN

No! I am not talking about engagement surveys! I am not talking about monthly and bi-monthly get-together in-person/virtual meetings either. The latter are all great initiatives. However, you know as well as I do, that it is not enough to listen to your people’s voices. When you take action based on what you listened to, THAT IS Listening. I am talking to leaders here and asking you to engage actively and consciously decide to listen to your teams’ spoken and unspoken messages. I know you must be saying, ‘’unspoken language, really!’’ I know it is not easy. It takes a lot of effort and needs special skills and data intelligence (HR Analytics). It just takes, you, putting a little more effort into paying attention above and beyond what people share in surveys and meetings. But trust me, it is such a great way to tell what is really going on with your employees, and certainly those who don’t like to share much through conventional listening tools.

Are they missing more meetings? Are they applying for more sick leave days? Or are they complaining of more physical aches or have physical health/mental health concerns? Don’t they participate enough in team activities, virtual and non-virtual? And, of course, obviously, has their performance changed in the last six months?

The above are just a few indications when people are trying to tell you something they are not comfortable sharing because that is just, a human nature.

So, yes, send surveys, not just those you want to grab an award or a certificate after! Collect feedback, and read and analyse the results and go back to your people to acknowledge that you have listened, that you’re about to take action, and what the action will be, and when, and if not why? ?Build trust.

Don’t let them go. Make the bimonthly meetings weekly, one-to-one, and just make them short, a 10-minute conversation and just call them ‘’ how you are?’’ sessions and keep the conversation focused on the purpose of listening to how your colleague is feeling and what help they may need.

We all know the importance of listening. I am not talking about the active listening often spoken about in communication skills training sessions. Remember to nod to acknowledge you are listening, repeat what they said to confirm, and maintain eye contact. Yes, yes, we get it. I am talking about you going into the conversation with the intent of collecting information about a person, a human you really care about.

The magic of listening is infinite. It could save you a lot on consulting services charges, trial and error, and team building events and trainings attempting to figure out what is wrong with your culture and how to fix it. Sometimes, the solution is just a conversation or a phone call away. Just take the initiative, be humble, vulnerable, and do it.

SPEAK

I have met many HR leaders and CEOs who have been very explicit about their frustration on how they had been trying their best to give the best workplace experience to their employees, but they (the employees) never seem to be satisfied/engaged. They went on and on while sipping that heavenly smelling cup of Nespresso in their fancy offices with exquisite Dubai views, on how much money they were spending on office facilities, culture experts, programs, training, and events. But they are never happy?

You know what, I do believe these leaders. I do trust them, and I can see and feel their sincere and authentic intention to make things better, but you know what? They have not been as transparent in communicating that intent to their people, leaving a lot of room for the wrong perceptions to be built.

SPEAK to your people, be vulnerable, and explain with the same passion you have when you explain your products/service to your customers.

CARE

Ok, let’s make it simple here:

Carefully listen to what your team wants, their career objectives, life struggles, their story, family matters, their ultimate working conditions, their challenges, their dreams and aspirations.

Act upon what you listened to and take action and fight harder if you can’t take action easily, make a change when and where you can, and if you cannot, explain why and find alternatives together—team up.

Respect, like really do it. Respect their opinions, feedback, personal space, ethnic backgrounds, and life beliefs. Respect their differences. Practice respect above and beyond saying ‘’I respect you and your opinion’’, act like their opinion matters. Whenever you promise, make sure you follow up on that promise. Take the right amount of time for your team. Respect is a value which can be simply and regularly practised in day-to-day interactions. Respect takes many shapes and forms, so make sure you, as a leader, understand that every interaction is an opportunity to show that respect and eventually earn it back.

Empathize

Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place. Essentially, it is putting yourself in someone else's position and feeling what they are feeling. Easier said than done, I know. However, can you imagine how many hurdles we might resolve if we practice empathy at work more often? How many conflicts might we avoid? If only doctors, engineers, teachers, call centre agents, and sales representatives just empathised, the world would be a better place to live, and businesses would be more successful.

?SUPPORT

People want to work with leaders and colleagues who support them in their time of need, not only then but at any time. But what do I mean by support? How do we show people that we support them? I hear leaders often refer to supporting their team members and organisations flashing the word support on their value list, but do they provide the support? Do they know how to support people in the workplace? When employees feel their contribution is valued, that the organisation cares about their well-being and is ready to offer help when needed, this is referred to as “perceived organisational support”.

The main influences on perceived support are fairness in the workplace, support from supervisors, rewards, and good job conditions.

HAVE FUN?

We can have fun at work, whether we are working from home or the office. Many people think “fun” is something that only belongs in recess, on vacation, at weekends, and in childhood.

But fun is a fantastically expansive word, and?Merriam-Webster ?defines it as “what provides amusement or enjoyment.” Fun is subjective and fulfilling, and when employees pursue their idea of it, it’s also beneficial to work.

The internet is loaded with ideas for what to do and how to make more fun initiatives in the workplace. But, before you plan the next office party, make sure that planning fun activities at work go hand in hand with all the other initiatives and is not a stand-alone practice because you don’t want your employees to feel that it is just transactional, and you are ticking off a box. Go above and beyond and ask your employees what would make their work more fun and act upon their feedback. Don’t just assume. Don’t just follow what other companies are doing. Don’t do it because it is cool. Customize your fun activities, there is no one size fits all. What makes employees have fun in the store, workshop, or on the construction site, is different to what makes employees at head office have fun.

You know what is most FUN? Life- Work Balance is.

Great resignation or not, do not wait to act until you hear that an employee may leave. Be resilient, listen, adjust, and keep going on a mission to improve the workplace experience for everyone, every day.
Reagan Pannell

Lean Consultant & Founder at LeanScape | Business Transformation Expert

6 个月

Maha, thanks for sharing!

Sreeraj D.

Results-Driven ACCA Qualified Chief Accountant | 10+ Years Experience | Expertise in Financial Management, Reporting, and Strategic Planning | Open to New Opportunities

1 年

If everyone work in a harmony, the work place will be a heaven rather than a toxic hell. To achieve it, there must be a leader with excellent problem solving skills, who takes unbiased decisions. If a team member raises a concern, the team leader must be able to resolve their concern with the cooperation of everyone rather than being partial and washing hands. I see a real life example. There are cold wars happening and the result is talents leaving the team. Unfortunately leader cannot bring a solution to the concerns raised by the team players. The result is the team members are reluctant to speak to such a leader and they look for another opportunity. This makes the team being a sinking ship. There are bias in the listening, speaking, caring, empathizing, supporting and rewarding system. A good understanding unbiased leader can make the workplace a fun place, where everyone will be happy to show up every day.

Fiona Passantino

Keynote Speaker, AI Training, AI Integration, Leadership Trainer, Employee Engagement and Communication Specialist; #author, 2023 UK Business Book Award Winner #bba2023, #AI #Leadership #Co-Active #coach.

1 年

An excellent article! Cutting, gets your attention, is full of useful, practical information and is bold and true. Well done, Maha.

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Waleed Heloo

MD at Midis Group

1 年

Great post Maha Zaatari ??

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