Employers beware: These signs could mean your employees are jumping ship

The great resignation has employers on edge over the possibility they could lose members of their workforce at a moment's notice, and if they want to preempt these losses, it’s time to look beyond just the basic benefits.

More than four million Americans quit their jobs in August, according to recent data from the Labor Department. Despite the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic, employees are more confident in their ability to find a new job and have high expectations for the benefits and workplace culture they need to succeed.

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“People are no longer willing to settle for working for an employer that doesn't meet all of their needs,” says Niki Jorgensen, the director of service operations for Insperity, a professional employer organization. “They want an employer who will support the work-life balance that’s become a renewed priority.”

Jorgensen recently connected with Employee Benefit News to share her thoughts on the great resignation, how employers can retain their workforces and the turnover signs HR needs to lookout for.

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What’s driving the great resignation?
Employees want an employer who has a great culture, is a great place to be, and has great leadership. They want something that checks all the boxes. What employees are seeing is that there are opportunities now with a lot of organizations that can offer that. And so people are willing to take that risk, to leave their job and to find something that better accommodates their life.

What factors can help employers avoid employee turnover?
There’s the saying that people don't leave companies, they leave managers. It always goes back to culture. It's the values of the organization and having values that people live and breathe.

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Also, having a rich health package is important as we come out of this COVID bubble, because there's a lot of deferred care that people need to take advantage of. One of the most underutilized benefits is the employee assistance program. It's up to the manager to make sure that their employees know that it's available, to know when to suggest using it, and to really socialize it, because depending on the EAP, there are tons of benefits to utilize.

What signs should employers look for when they think an employee will leave?
As soon as you see decreased productivity and communication, and just that overall disengagement from the employee, I would suggest approaching them and having conversations [about what’s going on] as early as possible. But it needs to come from a standpoint where you are caring for the employee and making sure that you are in tune with what's happening with them. If it’s a job satisfaction issue, maybe you can find projects to challenge them. If it's a personal issue, maybe there's something in the workplace that can help with that. Open and honest conversations can help to retain employees and keep them from even looking elsewhere from the start.