“As pandemic life recedes in the U.S., people are leaving their jobs in search of more money, more flexibility, and more happiness.” – NPR
Mental health as a company value is a critical ingredient in cultivating a healthy workplace environment, whether operations are remote, in-person or hybrid. It’s taken a global pandemic to really put this issue into perspective: unsustainable, unhealthy workplaces just aren’t going to cut it anymore. If employees are unhappy, experiencing undue pressure and stress, and no one is addressing it, employee turnover is inevitable. Pandemic-influenced employee churn is all too real, whether you call it The Big Quit, The Great Resignation, or simply tough times all around.
Empathy Reduces Employee Churn
With priorities, career goals and the world as a whole shifting towards emphasizing well-being and mental health, 92% of employees say they would be more likely to stay with their current job if employers showed and prioritized empathy, according to findings by Forbes.
Prioritizing effective communication, mutually beneficial employee/employer relationships and efficient processes for implementing that logistically where necessary are vital—if it’s not happening organically in your organization, then you as the HR department can to implement (or, where more force is needed, require) opportunities for your teams to freely and deliberately speak their needs, concerns, critiques and suggestions. Employees want a frictionless, free working environment—if toxic tendencies by management, direct or unspoken, are damaging to the company’s workflow, culture and employees’ sense of well-being in the workplace, then that needs to be acted upon, not just discussed in passing.
How Does Your HR Team Support Your Human Resources?
If employees who don’t know how to address their concerns or speak up voluntarily, help them to do so. Be the steppingstone that enables them to take control and develop their own advocacy.
In some work environments, you don’t need to, because in general, communication is healthy, expectations are clear, and workflow is flexible and collaborative. Even with that strong foundation, there are so many opportunities to continue to evolve and adjust to make it even more fruitful company culture: hold regular pulse checks, host weekly games, casual conversations (remote schedules works particularly well for virtual quizzes and meetings) and opportunities for employees to connect as people. Having that rapport and ease of communication makes connecting even smoother, and workflow more efficient.
A workplace, just like any gathering of humans, can function clunkily, uncomfortably and even miserably, or it can flow seamlessly, enjoyably and effectively. As an HR professional, you have an opportunity and a responsibility to make the flow and function better for all of your human resources. You can help guide those interactions with intention: intend to act, intend to listen, and lead with the intent of empathy.
Build A Culture of Listening
Need help on where to start? Conduct an audit of how well mental health and well-being are prioritized — or not — in your workplace, then dive deeper into understanding the gaps and plan how best to address and enact change.
Cultivate a culture of listening, empathy and overall well-being with SoGoEX, an employee experience platform that provides a systematic approach to employee feedback.
