The Top 4 Reasons Employees are Searching for New Opportunities

The “Great Resignation” has begun. Independent of the industry, employers across the country are seeing their staff exit in droves. Many employers cite the pandemic as one of the top reasons for employee turnover, but the pandemic just provided a clear lens to why people were unhappy in their company.

The way that employers handled the pandemic with their workforce was eye-opening for many. That disruption to the status quo and daily grind allowed for a period of reflection and planning. Employees gained a fresh perspective and decided they were no longer willing to settle.

At interviewstream, we want to help companies hire the right people and also retain the right people. Read more to learn about the trends we are seeing in the Great Resignation and how our services can help retain your top talent.

1. People Need Recognition, Growth, and Development

An employer-employee relationship is like any other, if someone doesn’t feel appreciated they will simply go somewhere else. According to Forbes, 66% of current employees say that they would leave their jobs if they felt unappreciated, and that number jumps to 76% when looking at millennials, who now dominate the workforce.

In addition to receiving appreciation, employees need to know that there is a clear, attainable path of growth and development. Some people are happy to do the same job every day for 20 years. Others need a different set of challenges to stay engaged. It is important to check in with your employees periodically (not just at their annual review) to see how they are feeling and what they are looking for in the future. 

Using one-way video interviews to complete these check-ins is a time-saver for companies. Employees can complete feedback sessions at their leisure, in a relaxed setting that enables them to be more forward and truthful with their employer.

2. A Stressful Work Environment Leads to Unhappiness 

In order to provide a supportive and productive work environment, look for ways to increase stability—and avoid turnover. If you work in an environment with high turnover, people are not making connections. According to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report, having close friends increases productivity and passion about the job, as well making people less likely to quit. 

Another important relationship that needs to be taken care of is the one employees have with their direct management team. According to a Gallup poll, 50% of people who quit their jobs cite management as the main reason for quitting. Managers who are transparent, open, and hold themselves and their employees accountable are less likely to face high turnover.

3. Flexibility is Key

Employees are people first – they have families and friends, obligations outside of work, and their health to look after. If employees feel hesitant to request PTO to take care of something important, that’s a problem with the work culture.

People saw how their jobs could easily be fully, or at least partially, remote when the pandemic disrupted the status quo. This revelation inspired possibilities of living in more desirable climates, being closer to family, and just having more time to live. If employers are not willing to negotiate where employees work, they’ll end up with fewer employees.

4. Beware of Burnout

The lines between work and home life became even more blurred during the pandemic. As employees juggled parenting and working full time simultaneously, on top of mounting concerns about the pandemic, economy, and “normal” daily life struggles – employees quickly had nothing left to give and experienced severe burnout.

Employers have likely seen burnout affect their employees. The next step is to acknowledge and address it. The Atlantic put it best, “people need validation of their experience, a broader reckoning with how they lived before March 2020, and tools to dig out from more than a year of trauma.” 

Avoid employee burnout by conducting regular 1-to-1’s, or check-ins with your employees. These informal chats can take place in person, via video chat, or using a specialized tool like interview connect. With a video platform, you can record these conversations and take notes as you talk.

How interviewstream can help

We help you make better hiring decisions, so the employees you hire will stay with you for a long time to come. With interviewstream’s video interviewing platform, you can quickly and easily determine the candidates that fit your company culture and will go on to become great employees. Further along down the line, you can leverage interviewstream’s services creatively to retain that top talent. 

Employers have been hit hard by the turnover tsunami, but we believe that creating a culture of transparency and accountability from the start will help retain your employees. So—before the Great Resignation affects your company—set up a time to discuss your needs with one of our hiring experts now!

About The Author

Esteban Gomez is a marketing consultant with interviewstream. He loves learning and has a passion for traveling, having visited many countries including China, Colombia, Italy, and Peru.