Competing for top talent? Here's what staff want
In 2021, nearly 45 million workers quit their jobs in the United States alone. By the end of the calendar year, nearly 11 million American job openings remained unfilled.
And the bleeding hasn’t stopped. A McKinsey survey found 40% of employees were at least “somewhat likely” to quit their job in the next 3 to 6 months. That same survey discovered that 36% of those who’d quit in the previous 6 months did so without another job lined up. This is a major departure from previous recessions-and-recoveries, indicating that many employers are simply failing to adjust to meet workers’ evolving needs.
Evolving worker needs
Where’s the disconnect? It seems that too often, employers simply aren’t listening to their workers.
Positive team climates encourage team members to value one another’s contributions, care about one another’s well-being and provide input into how the team carries out its work–but only 43% of employees reported a positive climate within their team. When employees feel their needs aren’t being met and their requests won’t be listened to, they’re more likely to pack up and find someplace that’s a better fit.
But what is it that workers are asking for? Aside from simply being heard–and better compensation–workers want to feel like their health and well-being are safe at the office. This means both having a robust health and safety plan and doing a good job communicating it to, and even developing it with, employees.
Workers want health and safety
Showing workers that it’s safe to come back is no small task. Trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S. has plummeted 15 points since the beginning of the pandemic as public health guidelines have relaxed and shifted. Workers want to be confident that science-backed protocols are in place to keep them safe.
The WELL Health-Safety Rating, an evidence-based standard developed by more than 600 global experts, provides actionable insights for organizations to make shared spaces healthier and safer, helping to limit the spread of disease and other negative health impacts. Achieving a WELL Health-Safety Rating and displaying the seal outside your workplace entrance communicates to employees and candidates alike that you are not only prioritizing their health and safety, but that you are acting on those priorities with science-based measures.
With in-depth protocols for everything from surface sanitization to assessing air ventilation, the WELL Health-Safety Rating directly addresses many of the worker concerns described in recent surveys. At a time when most workers still want to spend at least some time in the office, prioritizing their ability to do so safely is a great way to attract and retain talent.
If you want to communicate to your employees that you hear them, you see their concerns and you are proactively and effectively addressing them, consider applying for a WELL Health-Safety Rating for your workplace today.
