As the economy expands and contracts, the effort to snag the best talent, or even to just fill available positions increases or recedes. The battle to keep the desired talent is perennial. It needs to be part of the recruiting strategy and the highest priority. That’s a significant part of what DEI is about. So let’s keep our eyes on the ball.

Here’s the deal: Right now we are hearing and reading a lot about “the great resignation,” workers’ choice, not all that long after a huge spike in unemployment. How should both employers and workers at any level think about this and prepare to anticipate for the best outcomes?

3 Things Workers at All Levels Want

• Flexibility. Yes, ability to work at their chosen location and at hours that work for their lives. But flexibility means more than that. It can include how one chooses to work, flexibility concerning innovation and ways of thinking, welcoming diversity and inclusion, freedom to make different choices when circumstances or outcomes change.

• Greater voice and ability to speak up and to make their own reasonable choices

• Opportunity to learn and grow

Plus with all the above:
Respect for who they are and what they do, and respect for others

3 Things Employers Want Most

• More good recruits and retention of desired talent

• Solutions to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues that are not a financial strain or cause significant work disruption

• Happy and loyal clients/customers and workers

Questions for Employers

• Will recent attention to employee wants and DEI be sustained or begin to wither away when effects of the pandemic feel less acute?

• Do you accept that changed mindsets and desires at all levels are long-term and not merely reactions to the pandemic conditions?

• How will you demonstrate empathy, concern for wellness and DEI as core values of organizational culture?

Questions for (Current and Potential) Employees

• What are you willing to give up in exchange for your most important wants?

• What’s the most important requirement from employers and colleagues to gain your long-term trust and loyalty?

• What can your employer and colleagues do to increase and maintain your sense of belonging?

• What skills are you eager to grow that you want your employer and manager to support?

Despite what Millennial and Gen Z say now in surveys about WFH flexibility - or else they will leave – the picture is muddled. More Millennials than Gen Zers say they want to work from home - over 50%- and more than Boomers. I don’t think the situation will clarify until some time of experimenting passes and people can assess the actual pros and cons they experience with their choices.

Now is a time I have called “a big experiment.” Hashtag: #figuringitout. It’s a time that calls for taking a breath, making time for meaningful conversations – some not easy - that have been neglected, reflection about what to toss and what to keep in our personal and professional lives. Alignment with individual and organizational core values. Mapping the journey with an open mind for the unexpected.

Aspiring leaders need to align their personal legacy journey to organizational goals and positive influence on people they work for or with, whether you are an internal or external contributor. Here are some questions for “legacy-makers”:

• What do you consider a life well lived?

• How can you most harmoniously align your personal ambition with the organizations you work with?

• What kind of support will help you the most in your purposeful work legacy journey?

Call to Action: Consider seriously for yourself and your colleagues the questions listed earlier and be prepared for meaningful discussions. Keep the conversation going! 

© Phyllis Weiss Haserot  2021