With many employees choosing to change jobs at the moment, employers are experiencing what has been dubbed ‘the great resignation’. This has led to a high level of staff turnover and disruption for some organisations as well as difficulties in replacing employees, particularly in some sectors. Are there any steps employers can take when it comes to preparing for and managing this situation?
Four Top Tips
1. Think about a staff retention strategy
There are many steps employers can take to help reduce staff turnover, whilst there is no one size fits all approach, if you have not already done so you may wish to think about:
- Assessing whether your organisation’s pay and benefits remain competitive
- Providing training and development opportunities to enable employees to progress their careers within the organisation
- Identifying what employees in your organisation value most when it comes to work and working life to assess whether any positive changes could be made, such as offering greater flexibility regarding working times as standard
2. Ensure managers know how to deal with resignations
In most cases, dealing with an employee’s resignation is straightforward. If they have resigned in writing, given the required notice and their reason for resignation does not imply a failure on the organisations part to treat the employee properly, you usually need only wish the employee well and accept the resignation. Kingfisher Professional Services Ltd can provide you with a resignation acceptance letter on request to support your organisation with this.
It is however important for managers to be aware that there are some situations that can require different action and to be alert to these, such as if an employee raises a complaint in a resignation letter or resigns verbally. There can also be occasions where an employee goes ‘AWOL’ (absent without leave), if this happens it’s important not to assume that they have resigned. If an employee in your organisation resigns, walks out or goes ‘AWOL’, please contact Kingfisher Professional Services Ltd for advice on the facts of your situation before taking action.
3. Review your recruitment strategy and processes
If it’s been a while since you last needed to recruit it’s a good idea to review your recruitment practices to make sure they are effective and up to date. If any of your employees do resign, this will put you in a more robust position when it comes to quickly recruiting a replacement.
Remember that job applicants can complain to an employment tribunal if they feel they have been discriminated against so it’s important to ensure that the recruitment process is fair at all stages and that decisions are appropriately documented in case they are challenged.
4. Be prepared for new starters
It’s important to make sure that there is an induction process in place which meets the needs of the organisation and effectively supports new starters. A good induction process can help a new employee to settle in faster making it less likely they will leave within a short time, reduce the risk of issues arising such as uncertainty over internal procedures and help the new employee to perform at their best. An induction process will usually include matters such as communicating key workplace rules and policies, expected performance standards and providing the employee with appropriate training and guidance for the role.
If you have an employment law matter you would like assistance with, please do not hesitate to contact Kingfisher professional Services Ltd for advice as we are happy to help.