What is Causing the Great Resignation? (read below to find out…)

Written By Brooke Elliott

There is no such thing as a “perfect” culture. However, cultures can be improved drastically every day.

What does it take?

👉 It takes employees who feel safe and are willing to speak up to help the organization realize it’s weak spots and work towards change. REAL CHANGE.

But, it’s not that easy. 🤔

Employees are often reluctant to speak up because they fear they’ll be seen as disillusioned and wrong and that they’ll be, in some form or fashion, “punished” for what they divulge.

In addition to a trustworthy reporting system, it all begins with TRUST and SINCERE, COMPASSIONATE relationships, something greatly lacking in most cultures today. If high level trust and relationships don’t exist, it may be time to peel the layers back a bit to uncover some truths.

👉 How sincere and trustworthy are your leaders/employees and how do other employees view them? Great achievement does not always equal great leadership.

👉 What kind of relationships are being cultivated amongst leaders and their employees and across teams? Someone can know a great deal about another person, but how do they treat and care for them? Does this span equally across employees?

👉 What kind of environment is created by leaders/employees to ensure inclusivity and comfort in speaking up? How do you know the full story is being shared?

And, while certain toxic elements of culture are to blame for the Great Resignation, when employees are struggling to connect even slightly to the organization’s values, mission, leadership, etc., adding any element of a toxic culture can almost ensure a departure.

The “Toxic Five” culture attributes according to MIT Sloan are:
1) DISRESPECT
(lack of consideration, courtesy for others)
2) NON-INCLUSIVE
(lack of inclusivity for identity-related individuals/groups)
3) UNETHICAL
(unethical behavior, dishonesty)
4) CUTTHROAT
(backstabbing, ruthless competition)
5) ABUSIVE
(bullying, harassment, hostility)

*Any of the above toxicities can be accomplished directly or indirectly

My recommendations to tackle this huge issue are the following:

✔️ Hire right (many things should be considered here)
✔️ Assess your employees
✔️ Incorporate 360 reviews where individuals do not pick the audience
✔️ Train soft skills and assess application
✔️ Support your employees in diverse ways: resource groups, clubs, programs, coaching, convert managers to coaches etc.)
✔️ Develop a trustworthy reporting system

How can I help?
As an outside perspective/sounding board, I can provide value and help leaders and employees get ahead of toxicity in addition to navigating difficult situations and better planning their communication and follow-up strategy towards improving culture. It can take only one employee to create a toxic domino effect, but it can also take only one employee to create a mend and heal domino effect.

Brooke Elliott
Previous

Leadership Begins with Building a Solid Foundation
Next

What Women Can Do in 2022