It's not that there is this thing called the “Great Resignation” where an unprecedented 44% of people intend to quit their jobs this year. (58% in Singapore!)
It's not that there is a global problem for CEO’s and leaders of many organisations who want their staff back in the office and are finding that impossible. Some, like Elon Musk, even after threatening to fire them all.
And it's not really about greed for more money, though when you get approached and offered a 20% pay hike for crossing the street, it is a temptation.
It's not even that it's your best and brightest talent who are abandoning ship first. Even though they are the first to be hunted and poached.
It’s a lot more systemic than the headline numbers suggest. The devil, as they say, is in the details.
During covid we all learned to keep our distance from people because they might just be a tad toxic. We avoided buildings and gatherings and events and restaurants, all so we wouldn’t accidentally meet someone toxic.
After 2 plus years we’re tired of avoiding people. And yet, there's one place many still want to avoid going, and that's their workplace.
The underlying problem? It's considered a toxic workplace. And not because there's covid lurking in dark corners but because there are loud and proud managers who think that disrespecting staff is a motivational weapon, that inequity is unavoidable and diversity is a fad. They seem to think that inclusion is exclusive and ethics are a matter of political expediency.
If your talent are quitting for more pay, it's because someone else is willing to pay them more and dangling a glimmer of hope that this new place won't be toxic, or at least, not as toxic as the current place.
But there is something that leaders and managers can do. And if you want to plug your talent drain, you might want to listen up to this AdvantEdge guide:
Plugging the Talent Drain