What You Need To Ask Your Employees Now

2021 saw the mass exodus of employees and the reshuffling of careers and I predict that the trend will continue in 2022.

This past week was our first week back to work and Shine Talent had over twenty conversations with prospective candidates or people who were thinking about change. I also received numerous start of the year e-mails from people asking for my help as they confidentially set out to find a new role. I think we all got the well-deserved break we were looking for but, as one of my candidates said last week, Monday was like jumping into a cold pool of water. It was an absolute shock to the system for many people.

Here’s the problem: the break gave people the refresher they needed but the return to work presented the same cultural and leadership problems that people were grappling with 2021. Unless the C-suite starts addressing what our employees really need, I believe the mass exodus will continue.

How do you know what your employees need?

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Here’s what I know:

• Corporate trust feels at an all-time low. This could be surfacing due to the outcry against big tech, remote work, and lack of connection, or, monitored emails and zoom calls. I believe there are numerous reasons but there is a massive distrust going on with employees and corporations and trust needs to sit at the heart of all relationships – business or personal.
• There is a gap between what employees are looking for and what corporations and managers are willing to accept. The work-from-anywhere struggle is just that, a true struggle. Different people want different things, and it is tremendously hard to create an environment that services all. An outstanding CMO is getting asked to move her family to the mid-west to be at the corporate headquarters, but she has another offer that champions full remote but also gives the flex to be in their corporate headquarters on her own schedule. Which will she take?
• Money and purpose are a big deal. People want both. They want a job that gives them a true north and makes them feel like they have purpose, that they are contributing to the greater good, and that they are maximizing their skills and stretching themselves as leaders. They also want to get paid for it and feel they are earning their value. In this marketplace, you can’t skimp on either.

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So, if we know this, how do we stop our people from leaving and create better environments that inspire and retain them?

The answer lies in these three things:

• Understanding who your employees are and what they need.
• Understanding where you are delivering as an executive leader and where you are falling short.
• Closing the gap between the two.

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‍In your next 1:1, take the time to ask these questions. Starting this dialogue will give you the opportunity to close the gap and learn about what you can be doing better to retain your employees.

• check-insOn a scale of 1-10, what is your happiness level related to work?
• What are some of the things that you think will get you to a 10?
• I’d like your feedback on what is working for you with our communication and business relationship and what you may be struggling with.
• If there were 1-2 things more that you would like me to better at, related to your success and happiness in the role, what are they?
• Are there cultural things within the company that are challenging to you or that you feel we should be thinking about?
• Where would you like to be in the next 24 months career wise? What more support can we give you to help map to that ambition?

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Simply listen. Take the feedback in. This is not the moment to respond or react. Take good notes and digest. The goal of these questions is to understand more about YOU as an executive and how can become better to retain your top people.

Feedback is truly a gift. Take it in.

In your following 1:1, address the feedback and talk through the components. If you can’t meet the ask, talk through why and explore if there is a middle solution. Jointly assemble a plan to get to a 10 on the happiness scale within 3 months. Set regular check ins and revisit the questions.

Yes, this feels elementary and yes, you are an executive who has a million other things going on but if you really care about retention, do it. People don’t leave for another company, they leave because they are not fulfilled in their current roles.

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