Are you familiar with “The Great Resignation”? The “Great Resignation” is a sort of workers’ revolution and uprising against bad bosses and tone-deaf companies that refuse to pay well and take advantage of their staff. Millions of workers voted with their feet and walked out of their jobs—many without having another position already lined up. They no longer want to feel like victims. The quitters are making a powerful, positive and self-affirming statement saying that they won’t take the abusive behaviour any longer.

This post-pandemic revolution is forcing companies and leaders to rethink their company structures and no longer put profits first but prioritize their people. While work is a big part of everyone’s life, it is no longer just business as usual. The hardest task has been to unlearn norms and ways in which we view work. Traditions and expectations about work-life balance have taken a new turn as people adapt to the new normal. The great resignation is a wake-up call to employers and other leaders to reimagine the workplace and rethink systems. While a paycheck is something to consider, employees are looking for a healthy work environment within which there is an opportunity for growth and flexibility.

According to a study dubbed ‘Great resignation Update’, here are the main reasons why employees quit: burnout: 40%, company going through organizational changes: 34%, lack of flexibility: 20%, instances of discrimination: 20%, contributions, and ideas not being valued: 20%, insufficient benefits: 19% and well-being not supported by the company: 16%.

What The Job Switcher Sought Out In a New Job;

  1. Ability to work remotely according to personal preference: 40%
  2. Better compensation: 37%
  3. Better management: 31%
  4. Better company reputation: 29%
  5. Better work-life balance: 26%
  6. Flexible work schedule: ​​24%

Last week, we looked at the future workplace and highlighted this paradigm shift. Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, recently gave a 60-second speech and said, “Imagine life is a game of 5 balls that you manipulate in the air trying not to fall these balls. One of them is rubber, and the rest is glass. The five balls are work, family, health, friends, and soul. It will not be long before you realize that (work) is a rubber ball. Whenever you fall, you will jump again, while the other balls are made of glass. If one of them falls, it will not return to its previous form. It will either be damaged, bruised, cracked, or even scattered. You have to be aware of that and strive for it.”

It is time to have a plan going forward as the system in place seems to be a static one. Aside from the Human resource professional, we need to have a Chief People Officer (CPO) to ensure employees are heard and their needs are met. According to a pioneer in the business strategy industry, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the three pillars for developing a people strategy are leadership and culture, talent and skills, and HR. Your People and Culture Strategy is a roadmap to increased profitability, productivity, employee experience, and customer satisfaction. The Strategy provides a blueprint for the kind of organization you want to be. Basically, a people strategy is a fancy word for a “prioritized people plan.” Much like any other strategy, it underpins and enables your business to succeed. It’s a strategy built to drive employee engagement, productivity, and retention. It’s a roadmap for helping your business grow based on talent. 

I am a People Strategy Consultant at Rensyl Integral, a marketing and strategy consulting firm based in Nairobi. We help organizations create and implement effective methods of managing their people in order to keep them happy and productive. Our philosophy is that happy employees create happy customers.

Ruth Kimani ✌✌✌