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With 12 years' experience in human resource, head of people at SA learning company Maskew Miller Learning, Ruth Shogoe unpacks her view on what drives people towards what they truly want in a career, especially through challenging times.
Arguably the most notable human resource trend in recent years has been the great resignation or great reshuffle, as others have called it. From a global perspective, this trend of increasing resignations has spiked as more employees are focusing on their wellbeing and prioritising work-life balance in the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pandemic and, consequently, remote work truly opened a world of new opportunities for employees, with companies hiring people regardless of their geographic position. This ignited a war for talent, which has meant that companies seriously needed to reinvent their retention strategies.
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Organisations have had to look for ways to cater to post-pandemic employees who want to balance their work and personal lives. This has led to companies resorting to sabbatical offerings, day-offs, flexible working hours and even four-day work weeks to serve employees' needs better.
Despite this, the great resignation did filter into many South African industries. However, it looked different when compared to our international counterparts. Employees resigned, but rather went to join the gig economy or for opportunities overseas. So, the question then becomes how can South African companies attract and retain their top talent? Perhaps we can assume that the focus for the local economy is "the great retention" for the year of 2023.
The answer to how employers can better cater to their employees is simple – listen to what employees need.
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Often, employees on the ground hold the solutions that unlock organisational potential for future profits in dealing with competition and stakeholders. All that needs to be done is to listen closely and try to meet the demands realistically. Collaborative efforts and creating opportunities for engagement can assist employers in getting closer to the solution.
We can expect the great resignation to continue into 2023. However, the rate will have slowed, meaning that the great reshuffle will begin to normalise. In 2023, we should expect to see an increase in wellness efforts and offering as a response to burn-out and mental health issues experienced over the last three years. Simply put, in 2023, it is going to be vital for employers to offer benefits that matter to employees; otherwise, they will find an employer that does.
