Shawnee Love   •   May 7, 2020

It’s amazing how we adapt. Something that was apocalyptic 3 months ago, we are already able to come to terms with.  That is the case with COVID.  The fear, instability and uncertainty still exist.  But organizations and leaders are looking forward and figuring out how to pivot, innovate, reopen and scale back up. (More on returning employees to workplaces in future blogs.)

One of the things that hasn’t changed with the pandemic is that there still is a shortage of skilled people. Despite the levels of layoffs, people with the skills, knowledge, and abilities who also fit well in your organization are not going to be that much easier to find than they were pre-pandemic.

There just aren’t that many and the organizations that employ those people currently are going to be doing their best to hold on to them.  If you are an organization with great talent who wants to enhance your ability to hold on to your people (and reduce the risk they will be lured away), here are a few things you can do today:

1. Get in touch. Find out how the employee is coping today and what he or she needs and wants going forward. (This doesn’t mean you can give the employee everything desired but having a dialogue about what is wanted/ needed and being honest about what is and isn’t possible for the organization is important.) You risk losing people if you don’t appear to care about their needs and wants. But you will also frustrate them if you get their ideas and do nothing about them. Which brings me to the next point.
2. Be open to flexing -when and where you can. One size has never fit everyone and great people managers know this and are willing to customize arrangements (within reason and with an eye to being fair and equitable) to fit their key people.
3. Revisit your practices for communicating, collaborating, innovating, rewarding, decision making, handling conflict, mentoring, coaching, etc. to ensure they align with the culture you need to keep the talent you need to keep. These behaviours happen in between the work, and yet affect how the work gets done. Thus, they make a difference when your top talent are considering if they want to stay with you and to new talent considering whether they want to join.

LoveHR helps attract and keep great people. Let us help you.