“I quit”, or “I'm resigning”: millions of American bosses heard this phrase in 2021. This massive wave of voluntary departures has affected the country in the midst of a health crisis. How do we explain this phenomenon? Is France affected by a similar trend? How can organizations cope and succeed in retaining talent in their workforce? We are going to answer all these questions and give you the keys to not experiencing a Great Resignation in your company.
What is the Great Resignation?
A phenomenon from the United States
Since the start of the global health crisis, millions of Americans have decided to resign. While employees might have been expected to be afraid of being fired, in the end, the opposite phenomenon has occurred.
In 2021, more than 38 million left their company voluntarily. Over 3 million per month. Such a wave of departure had not been experienced across the country since 2001. A name has been given to this unprecedented phenomenon: “The Great Resignation” or “The Big Quit”, which is translated into French as the “Great Resignation”.
Several reasons have been put forward to explain this decision. First of all, lockdown has allowed many people to take time to think about their professional desires and ambitions. The majority of resignations concern people who occupied a position with arduous working conditions And a low salary. Inflation and the difficulties caused by the crisis have created a general awareness. Many no longer want to sacrifice their personal lives for the benefit of their jobs.
The situation of the Great Resignation in France
So what about the situation in France? While the trend is less significant than across the Atlantic, the figures show that resignations, anticipated terminations of fixed-term contracts and conventional breakups are on the rise. According to Statistics announced by Dares, France recorded an increase in resignations of 10% in June 2021 and 20% in July 2021 compared to the same periods in 2019. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees are the most affected.
In France, the reasons given to justify the departures are essentially the same as among Americans. Many regret the lack of opportunities for professional and personal development within their company. THEabsence of meaning and usefulness perceived is also widely mentioned, according to a study conducted by Qualtrics.
Workers' priorities have changed. They give more importance to their well-being and the sense of their mission within the company. Corporate culture, quality of life at work, flexible hours, management style are now much more important. Salary is no longer at all the most decisive criterion in finding a job.
Fighting against the phenomenon of great resignation in your company
In this context, businesses have an important role to play if they want to maintain talent in their workforce. Here are some tips to make sure the Great Resignation doesn't affect you in a massive way.
(Re) putting employees at the center of the company
You got it: retaining your employees is a key challenge. To do so, some changes may be required.
First of all, you need to take an interest in their needs and listen deeply to them. Several topics are important, such as the balance between personal and professional life. Where possible, setting up flexible hours or allowing remote working can be very beneficial. This allows employees to organize themselves as they wish, in trust.
The well-being of employees must also have an essential place in your business. This requires the quality of working conditions, but also through benevolence in communications. The establishment of a participatory management, called Bottom-up, can be very useful. Healthy relationships and a calming environment limit psychosocial risks, which are the cause of many departures.
Finally, the commitment of your employees is one of the keys to their loyalty.
Engaging employees to reduce turnover
Logically, the more committed an employee is to his company, the more he wants to stay there in a sustainable way. The benefit is enormous, since it allows both to have motivated and productive teams, but also to have quality ambassadors. A committed employee naturally becomes involved when he feels good in an organization.
As we have seen: workers are more and more Quest for meaning in their jobs. You can involve them in the implementation of your CSR policy, in order to link your common values. By engaging each other in such an approach, you are joining forces to have a positive impact on society and the environment.
The phenomenon of the Great Resignation, which is very present in the United States, is gradually gaining ground in France. In order for your company not to be affected, it is essential to listen to your employees and to engage them as much as possible. There are tools that can help you do that. Teamstarter is for example a great Lever of commitment in business. It allows employees to propose projects that are important to them, and to implement them through a participatory budgeting system. This benefits employees, who are committed to causes that are important to them, but also to the company. In fact, involved employees remain in an organization more sustainably and are more productive.
Discover all the benefits of Teamstarter for your organization on our business space.
Sommaire
