Avoid the Great Resignation with workplace wellbeing
Workplace wellbeing is the right thing to do and it’s great for talent retention. We take a closer look at why.
Whether you call it the Great Resignation, the Great Reprioritisation, or the Great Realignment, one thing is clear: people are resigning in higher numbers than ever before.
Organisations across all sectors are struggling to find and retain great people. There’s a global talent shortage and job seekers have the upper hand.
So, what do job seekers want? Why are they leaving secure jobs in search of brighter horizons? And how can organisations entice people to stay?
Workplace wellbeing is a big part of the solution. We discussed why in our recent webinar: ‘Don’t be resigned to resignations – how and why wellbeing should be at the heart of your talent retention strategy.’
Our expert panel spoke about why workplace wellbeing is so vital for talent retention. In this webinar, we heard from:
Tazmayn Goode, Wellbeing Consultant and Managing Director of 360 Academy
John Frear, Group Capability and Performance Manager at Giltrap Group
Dr Fiona Crichton, VP of Clinical at Groov
Matt Clarke, Groov Country Manager for Australia
Here are five key takeaways from our webinar about the Great Resignation and workplace wellbeing.
1. Wellbeing at work is now a must-have
There was once a time when workplace wellbeing was a nice-to-have, but that time is long gone. A recent study by Groov found that people are six times more likely to think about resigning most days if they believe their workplace doesn’t care about their wellbeing.
“People are voting with their feet,” says Dr Fiona Crichton, Groov Clinical VP. “A driver of the Great Resignation is without a doubt the idea that ‘my workplace doesn’t care about my wellbeing’. And workplace wellbeing cannot be performative – if it’s not genuine, your people will know and they won’t believe that you care.”
John Frear, Group Capability and Performance Manager at Giltrap Group, agrees.
“At the end of the day, people want to come to work and know they’re making a contribution that’s valued. They want to know they’re making a difference and they’re working with people who actually care about them.”
2. Meaning is the new salary
It’s rare that people resign solely for a higher salary, says 360 Academy Director Tazmayn Goode. Throughout her years in recruitment, Tazmayn found most people moved on because of a values misalignment. People want to feel as though their work is meaningful to the organisation, because meaningful work is a huge predictor of wellbeing.
“When people spoke [to me] about wanting to leave for salary, if I probed one or two reasons deeper, salary was never the main reason they were leaving,” says Tazmayn. “The main reason was almost always linked to wellbeing.”
Tazmayn believes we’re seeing an “evolution of employment”, where people are ditching “hustle culture” in favour of more meaningful work.
John is observing similar trends at Giltrap.
“The last couple of years have given people time to reflect on their core values and what’s really important to them. If their workplace can’t align to that, they’ll find another workplace,” says John. “A workplace is more than a job description and a pay cheque. It’s got to be much, much more than that.”
3. Leaders are burning out
The Great Resignation affects people at all levels of an organisation, but leaders are especially vulnerable. In trying to care for their people and keep the doors open during huge uncertainty, leaders are burning out – and fast.
Many leaders resign themselves, leaving a knowledge and leadership gap in their wake. The leaders who stay are faced with higher workloads, more responsibility, and now the added pressure of workplace wellbeing. What’s a leader to do?
Dr Fiona says leaders must look after their own wellbeing before they can look after others.
“We know so much is on our leaders’ shoulders and how hard it is for them to look after their own wellbeing. We must give leaders the tools they need to take care of themselves, not just for their own wellbeing, but for that of the entire organisation,” explains Dr Fiona. “Because if leaders don’t model wellbeing, it won’t filter down to individuals.”
4. Wellbeing makes work better for everyone
Investing in wellbeing at work is good for an organisation, its leaders and its people. In addition to helping with talent retention, it also improves problems like employee absenteeism and presenteeism, workplace health and safety, and even productivity and profitability.
Wellbeing makes work a better place to be – and a place where people are more likely to stay.
“If you really want to create an environment where people are highly productive, there’s innovation and trust, and people are happy with their work – you need a culture of wellbeing,” explains Dr Fiona. “Wellbeing just makes things better. People are better with their teammates, with productivity, with their ability to innovate.”
“Wellbeing is the right thing to do, but it’s also the smart thing to do,” she adds.
5. Workplace wellbeing is easier than you think
We’ve all been through a lot over the past few years – and we’re tired. Adding wellbeing to the strategic agenda feels overwhelming for many leaders. But it’s a myth that workplace wellbeing is complicated, expensive, and difficult to execute.
As Groov Country Manager for Australia Matt Clarke explains, small steps in the right direction can add up to big changes over time. It’s all about starting small and gaining momentum.
“It can be as simple as starting a team meeting with a personal and professional win,” says Matt. “These types of rituals bind people together, so when things do get hard, they trust each other.”
Forget about fruit bowls and free yoga classes for a moment. At its core, workplace wellbeing is actually about psychological safety. It’s about creating environments where people feel safe to bring their whole selves to work and feel as though their voice matters. When they feel safe at work, and able to communicate when things are challenging, people are far less likely to resign.
How Groov can help you avoid the Great Resignation
Groov helps you look after the wellbeing of your people, so you can keep your people. Our workplace wellbeing platform, Embed, makes wellbeing a normal, natural part of daily work life. Embed tackles wellbeing at an organisational, leadership, and individual level, providing the tools, knowledge, and resources you need to create a wellbeing-first culture that sticks.
