Across the globe, organisations are seeing a significant increase in employee resignations. In the US alone, 4 million workers left their jobs in April this year and with lockdown restrictions lifting and “normal” life resuming, it appears more and more individuals are looking for new job opportunities, a more flexible working schedule or even a complete career change.
This trend has come as many employees and organisations are nearing the end of an extensive period working from home. It is thought that the experience of working remotely during this time has led to a shift in values and priorities for many individuals, both in their personal and professional lives, which has prompted them to reconsider their current employment.
So how can employers prevent this increasing job dissatisfaction and the rise in resignations? And what can they do to ensure their employees are motivated, happy, and healthy?
In this article, we’ll explore this increase in resignations here in the UK, how burnout culture may have contributed to this, and what you can do as a business leader to prevent burnout amongst your workforce, and retain happy and healthy talent.
The Great Resignation
A recent study by HR company Personio showed that 38% of UK and Irish workers planned to quit their jobs within the next 6 months to a year. This mass exodus has been dubbed The Great Resignation by some economists. Why are so many individuals walking away from their jobs?
The Covid-19 pandemic and an increase in working from home has certainly contributed to this trend, where many professionals have experienced more flexibility, autonomy and a different pace of life, creating space for reflection. Over the last 18 months, priorities have changed for so many employees that they are now re-examining their working lives and, in some cases, seeking new employment that aligns with and compliments their personal lives. While priorities vary from person to person, many are seeking:
An improved work-life alignment
A more flexible working schedule
A career that aligns with their passions
A promotion or pay rise that may have been on hold during the pandemic
In addition to this, the lockdowns forced many companies to drastically change their ways of working, from processes and lines of communication to human resources, which put a lot of pressure on employees. So, for many individuals – rather than leaving their jobs to pursue a passion or spend more time with family – they are looking to resign due to:
An increased or demanding workload
Their company’s handling of the pandemic
Treatment of workforce during the pandemic
Resource and staffing issues in their company
This huge surge in job dissatisfaction and a booming job market highlights the need for organisations and business leaders to address the needs of their staff, and if they want to turn the current tide of resignations, they must also take matters of overwhelm, stress and burnout seriously.
Burnout in the workplace
Workplace burnout is a type of job-related stress that affects over 52% of UK employees – a statistic that has increased by 9% since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Workplace burnout tends to occur as a result of long-term job stress that leaves us feeling emotionally and physically exhausted. The key signs of burnout are, but are not limited to:
Physical, emotional and mental exhaustion
Lack of motivation
Negative thinking
Lack of focus
Extreme fatigue
It is thought that employees who are experiencing burnout are 2.6 times more likely to be actively seeking new employment.
A story from one of our clients
We spoke to Darren Clarke, Client Service Director at accountancy firm Rickard Luckin, about his experience and understanding of burnout, how the pandemic has impacted his relationship with work and any decisions he has made in his career as a result.
Darren, thank you for sharing your story with us.
Have you personally experienced burnout?
“I feel grateful to say that I don’t think I have personally got to the point of complete ‘professional burnout’, although I have probably come close in the past, whether through becoming consumed by work, allowing pressures to accumulate and stress to occur. Through time and experience I am more mindful of the warning signs and acknowledging any action that I may need to protect my wellbeing.”
Darren goes on to say, “For me I find the analogy of running on a hamsters wheel a useful way to explain this! Sometimes you can be running along, getting faster and faster, losing appreciation for what may be happening around you. I remind myself that sometimes it’sokay to slow down to check in with yourself, or even stop for a little rest, to make sure you’re doing okay and reach out for support if you need it. In fact it’s more than okay, I’d say it’s important to make sure you do this, otherwise the alternative could be that you become exhausted and collapse on the wheel and are no use to anyone!
Talking to others about any issues I may be experiencing has been one of the most important things for me to do. Not only can this be helpful to gain support where I need it, but simply talking through an issue can actually make them seem less of a problem than it actually is, and helps reduce any feelings of stress I may have.
Finding ways to switch off outside of work is helpful too, from spending time with friends and family, to taking part in activities where you are able to enjoy a distraction from what’s happened during the working day. I try to make my health and wellbeing a priority too, through exercise, healthy eating and trying to get a good amount of sleep. By doing this and looking after myself I am putting myself in a better position to tackle whatever may come my way.”
How has the course of the pandemic impacted your relationship with work?
“I’d suggest it has made it stronger. I work within a great team and we made a real effort to stay connected during our time working from home. This was not just about work but on a personal level too. I would say that our bond as a team strengthened by simply keeping connected on a regular basis and being there for each other.
At the start of the pandemic, I thought it would be impossible for anyone new to join and feel part of the team whilst being remote, however I think it’s testament to everyone in the group that during the last 18 months we were able to welcome three new members and for them to have integrated into our team so well.
I would also say my firm has had a real focus on improving the employee experience in the last 18 months, including the teams wellbeing. This was already starting to happen before the pandemic, however I feel that the situation we have been in has really highlighted the importance of this and helped to accelerate initiatives in the firm to enhance the experience and support for the team. As a result I feel more engaged as a team member and excited for the future.”
Have you made any big decisions with regards to work/your business/your career as a result of the past 18 months?
“I became a Wellbeing Champion at my firm, a new initiative to help promote the importance of wellbeing across the team and provide support to those in need. I have always seen wellbeing as being hugely important and am so pleased that there is now a dedicated focus for it in our workplace. I’m looking forward to this developing in the months ahead and seeing it becoming embedded into our culture.”
Preventing burnout culture from manifesting
As Darren’s story highlights, it is more important than ever for businesses and management to be prioritising employee mental health and wellbeing. With cases of burnout and employee resignations both increasing, now is the time to work towards actively preventing burnout in your organisation, and a growing body of evidence highlights that implementing preventative measures not only boost employee engagement, it enhances productivity, talent, connection as a team and retention of staff.
Here are a few ways you can start to positively invest in your employees:
Implement a wellbeing strategy
Consider flexible working hours
Focus on communication
Introduce mental health days
Offer wellbeing training for management and staff
Provide support for remote workers
Retaining talent amidst the Great Resignation
There are many things that can get in the way of running your day-to-day business – busy periods, changes to your industry, staff turnover, cultural and economic shifts and as we’ve seen, even global pandemics. But it is vital to ensure the wellbeing of your employees as a priority, and especially when your business goes through a difficult period.
When you prioritise your employees your business will benefit, and there are so many ways to focus on retaining talent to suit different budgets and needs. This can include highlighting a company-wide focus on mental health awareness during key dates in the year, allowing employees flexible hours where needed, encouraging communication between employee and management when it comes to mental health, self-study ecourses to embed a range of self-care modalities, and more.
At Calmer, we are dedicated to improving employee mental health and wellbeing. We are here to support businesses and individuals, and reduce the issue of The Great Resignation from escalating. Find out more about what we can offer your business and get in touch.