A while back, we talked about ‘The Great Resignation’ and the impact it was having on companies across the world. Employees are realising that their work/life balance could be greatly improved with the option of remote or flexible working, and that their overall happiness and job satisfaction were closely related to how their companies treated them, and the benefits they were offered. We established that employees wanted flexibility, wanted to learn at work, wanted to be promoted within their organisations, and were tired of being overworked and overwhelmed.
But that’s not the end of the story. Recent data shows that many people are leaving their roles in search of something completely new following the pandemic, including turning hobbies into their own businesses. The same report by Aviva also reveals that over 350,000 people surveyed want to retrain or learn new skills and a further 700,000 wish to find a new role within their organisation.
So, in order to avoid an influx of resignations, what can businesses do to retain staff?
Well, one way is to consider a reshuffle.
What is a reshuffle?
Employers are having to work harder than ever to retain talent following the pandemic, but the key isn’t necessarily just offering more benefits and flexible working. We know that employees want more. They are looking for true satisfaction from their role within a company they love working for.
It may be that you are the company they love, but their role isn’t right for them, and they aren’t being fulfilled enough to want to stay. But perhaps leaving isn’t their only option. What if, instead of saying goodbye to great talent, you looked at your employees and your organisation more closely to find better job matches for your team? Skills based organisations (or SBOs) do something similar from the outset, but you don’t need to be an SBO to shine a light on skills gaps within your business, or untapped potential within your workforce.
Establish the ambitions and goals of every employee
We say it time and time again – spending time talking to your staff is key. Every organisation should know the goals of their employees and should offer support and guidance on how to reach those goals. If we don’t have something to aim for on the horizon, we’re just treading water, and that doesn’t get anyone anywhere.
By establishing the ambitions of each and every team member, you can help direct them on the path to reach their goals. That might be within their current role specialism, but you will likely find that many of your team members want to move sideways, diagonally, and possibly even down to the bottom of a new ladder they want to climb rather than being halfway up one they don’t. Moving employees to different departments to do different things could be the best shakeup your business ever had.
Establishing skills gaps
Figuring out where there are skills gaps within your organisation and finding the right person to fill them will, without a doubt, lead to better company results and better staff retention.
A skills gap in a business is just like a hole in a dam. It will leak water, and eventually, the whole thing will cave. Plugging the gaps by a) ascertaining what they are and b) establishing the existing skill sets of those within your workforce is the perfect approach to knowing how and where solutions are needed to make sure your dam stays watertight.
A learning platform can help reveal skills gaps and untapped talent
Forbes recently published an article that revealed “28% of Gen Z and 24% of Millennials report not being able to take advantage of career development and advanced training because of their unpredictable work schedules. This is an opportunity for organisations to double down on training investments as a retention strategy and make training and internal talent mobility easily available for employees.”
Implementing a learning platform that allows employees to design and create their own learning journey will allow your staff to start the career growth they desperately desire. It will also reveal any gaps in skills, and also what your team are working towards. You’ll be able to see what they are interested in, which skills they’ve already achieved, and the content they’ve recently consumed. This information will help ensure that your team members are where they should be within your business, and if they aren’t, you’ll have a clearer picture of how and where they might excel if they were to take on something new.
Is a reshuffle right for you?
If you’re at risk of losing great talent because they want a change in job role, then a reshuffle could absolutely be right for your organisation. Whether it’s one employee or 10 that want to try something new, retaining loyal and productive team members by moving them into a new role within your organisation will mean they stick with the company they love but will now be even more excited and motivated to achieve great things at the start of their new career chapter. Change can be daunting but there’s a lot to be said for breathing new life into your business by moving your talent around.
How Thirst can help
Thirst is a learning platform that your employees will actually want to use. Thirst uses machine learning and AI recommendations based on your team members’ skills, interests and the content they digest to provide them with a unique and tailored learning experience.
Our intuitive reporting means we support you with identifying skills and knowledge gaps within your company and through unique, actionable insights and informative trends analysis you will get the perfect view of your organisation. You’ll be able to establish how your workforce like to consume information, which skills you have in abundance, which skills you might be lacking, and the progress your team members are making with their development. With this information, you can make informed decisions about where your talent will be best placed within your business for the biggest mutual benefit of everyone.
At Thirst, we aim to ensure every employee is on an incredible learning journey, and that every employer has an excited and motivated workforce. We are learning, refreshed. To find out more, book a demo of Thirst, or sign up for a free trial.
