Addressing Attrition in the Workplace

Why do we come to work? The most common answer will be for the money. People have to pay the bills.

Why do we leave the work for another opportunity? The answer is likely to be less about money and more about the workplace. Sometimes even if the new workplace is unknown (only based on a website and a “sales pitch” in an interview). The concept of anywhere is better than here prevails in many cases!

So why do we do the particular job that we do? And why do we stay in the role?

There will be many answers, but with the growing numbers supporting the Great Resignation theories, it’s clear that people need a greater purpose and motivation than money.

Nobody wants to do a bad job at work. Therefore, when they do, it is likely to be a result of how they feel about the workplace and how they are being treated in it.

How do we, as leaders, ensure that the workforce is motivated and working to their full potential at work?

Creating an environment where staff feel valued, trusted and listened to is a start. Where they feel that they have at least some level of control over the work that they are doing and they feel safe to be their authentic self.

A place where, if they make a genuine mistake, the leader looks to ensure that the team learns from it and there is no blame. Where the first question is “how do we make sure that won’t happen again, to anyone” rather than “who was it who made the mistake?”.

If we really want to lower attrition rates in our business, to reduce the amount of absenteeism and presenteeism, and raise the morale of the workforce, we need to address the environment and culture that we have in the workplace. To do that we need leaders who understand how to create a positive working team - one which trusts each other and feels a sense of purpose and belonging.

Leaders who recognise what each individual brings to the team and how their specific skills combine to deliver a great result.

Leaders who value input from team members and act on what they say. And if they don’t implement an idea, they tell the person why, and encourage them to come up with more suggestions in the future.

Check out the InteChange website for more on the Leadership Toolkit, and for more on making your workplace a psychosocially safe environment and how this will deliver better KPI results and service performance.