october2021 - 15

THE LEADERSHIP ADVISOR
The Great Resignation:
How to Keep Employees Happy and Prevent Burnout
AMY VETTER, CPA.CITP, CGMA
Mindful Technologist &
Keynote Speaker
@AmyVetterCPA
In July 2021, alone, nearly 4 million
employees in the United States quit
their jobs (https://www.bls.gov/news.
release/jolts.nr0.htm). In fact, workers
are quitting their jobs at the highest
rates seen since the Bureau of Labor
Statistics began collecting this data
in 2000. The mass exodus has since
been dubbed " The Great Resignation. "
People feel overworked, burnt out,
and underappreciated. Fortunately,
there are numerous measures you
and your firm can take to retain and
attract high-quality staff-even as
many other businesses face an influx
of resignation letters.
IMPROVE
COMMUNICATION WITH
ACTIVE LISTENING
Whether your team is in the office or
working remotely, it's crucial for staff
to feel heard and valued by you and
their coworkers. Having a clear and
candid conversation is the first step
to improving communication and, by
extension, employee retention.
Ask your staff how they feel, what
they need from you, and anything you
can do to improve their experience.
Invite them to confide in leadership
with any qualms they may have and
schedule regular catch-ups and chats
with your team to ask how they are
doing on a personal level. Your team
needs to know that you hear their
concerns.
Conducting stay interviews
(https://tinyurl.com/na4n7ee2)
is a
great way to check in with your staff
and signal that they are valuable to
you and your firm. Meet with them
MORE THAN ANYTHING, the pandemic brings us face-to-face with our mortality, prompting
many pandemic-related epiphanies about life, death, family, and work. It puts into focus
how important it is to balance work and life in a post-COVID world.
to discuss their wants, needs, and
future plans in-depth. But remember,
you need to act on what they bring
up. Nothing kills employee loyalty
faster than empty words and empty
promises.
LEAD WITH EMPATHY
As ideas about workspace evolve, leading
your employees with empathy and
compassion is more important than
ever. Communication is an effective
first step to keeping your staff happy,
but taking action on what your team
says is the key to creating the best
work environment for every person
at your firm.
Have honest and open communication
regarding mental health and
work-life balance-recognize when
someone feels burnt out (https://
tinyurl.com/jwkn5nmm), give your
staff time off if they need a mental
health break or simply time to
recharge, and let them know that you
are listening.
Being communicative and transparent
shows employees that you will
take action on their concerns. It can
be the difference between keeping
your top employees and losing them
to frustrations and burnout.
OFFER FLEXIBILITY
If the pandemic has taught us anything,
it is the fact that people don't
have to work in an office five days a
week to do their jobs well. In fact, a lot
have thrived with the flexibility that
remote work allows.
While some people look forward to
going back to the office, many others
have embraced the flexibility of working
remotely permanently and want
it to be a part of their new normal.
Survey your staff individually on their
preferences: Does your team want to
go back to the office full-time? Do they
want fully remote? Or does a hybrid
schedule work best for them?
The easiest and most appealing
model is to allow your staff the
flexibility to choose. Flexibility in
scheduling leads to a happier and
more loyal team.
CULTIVATE WORK
CULTURE AND EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT
Whether you are back working in the
office or still 100% remote, cultivating
employee engagement and work
culture is vital to employee happiness
and retention.
Many managers underestimate
the importance of inter-team relationships,
and building team camaraderie
can be challenging, especially when
remote. Fortunately, even virtually,
there are many ways to help your staff
connect with their coworkers: host
fun events and challenges, celebrate
birthdays, significant life events, and
anniversaries, and encourage those
" water cooler conversations " (https://
tinyurl.com/ye8yvu27) (conversations
that build rapport but have nothing to
do with the work at hand).
Maintaining connections and
conversations outside of the scope
of assigned work leads to increased
morale and a shared sense of accountability.
Culture is always a work in
progress, but when you're on the right
path, it brings your top performers
together and becomes a competitive
advantage.
Right now, it may feel like keeping
employees is tough, but it is possible.
By improving communication and
flexibility, practicing empathy, and
cultivating employee engagement-
you will easily be on your way to preventing
your own Great Resignation. ■
OCTOBER 2021 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
15
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm https://www.tinyurl.com/jwkn5nmm https://www.tinyurl.com/jwkn5nmm http://www.tinyurl.com/ye8yvu27 http://www.tinyurl.com/ye8yvu27 https://www.tinyurl.com/na4n7ee2 http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
october2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of october2021
