The Great Resignation: Creating a culture that retains talent amid mass resignations

Businesses across Canada will soon begin to welcome employees back to the office – but what exactly will that look like, especially as Canada enters a time of mass resignations among many employees who are making significant career changes?

According to RBC, three times more people left their jobs in June 2021 compared to the same month last year, which means not only is a return-to-work policy a priority for employers, but it will require a delicate balance between the needs of the business and the employees – to ensure retention.

As it stands, many workplaces are making it up as they go along. Some companies have realized it’s a turning point in the workplace, while others are trying to get back to a pre-pandemic normal. While it may be tempting to go back to the pre-pandemic normal where the plans and policies are already defined, if there’s anything the last 18 months have taught us, it’s that there will be a new normal moving forward -- and Canadians’ switching careers/jobs en masse is a big indicator of this.

In order to retain employees during a return-to-workplace transition, employers will need to create a plan that takes into account both the needs of the business and those of the employees, allowing for accommodation – within reason. A recent report from Accenture revealed that 61 per cent of Canadians prefer a hybrid or remote work model, so if the business is able to work within these  structures, this would be a reasonable accommodation to ensure talent retention.

Promoting Equity & Balance

One of the main challenges of hybrid or remote work is creating and maintaining the culture of the company – an integral part of the workplace that also aids in retaining talent. The pandemic has given employers a rare opportunity to reshape  the company’s culture, and equity is one of the facets that will be critical to retaining talent. According to a Forbes article that references multiple studies, employees who feel they are being treated unfairly when compared to their colleagues may begin to exhibit withdrawal behaviours or leave the company altogether.

Prior to the pandemic, company culture had a tendency to focus on productivity and getting work done. The pandemic has created a shift where a flexible work/life balance has now become the norm, making it imperative for a company to prioritize and integrate it into the company’s culture as we transition through the return-to-workplace period.

Not only will fairness and flexibility create a positive corporate culture, it can also help to prevent employee burnout – just another reason why many Canadians are uprooting their careers in favour of jobs where these “perks” are present.