Solving the Great Resignation: The role of employee-centric benefits, tech & culture

The Great Resignation is continuing to sweep the American workforce. Of those who have left, 45% cited the need to take care of their family as an influential aspect of their decision, and another third blamed the lack of flexible benefits.

Employees are stressed as they manage heavy workloads both at work and home. As they leave their companies, they’re searching for an employer that establishes and values a personal connection with them. It’s in this lack of personal connection in the workplace that we’re able to find a key solution to the Great Resignation.

The employee-centric workplace

Today’s workers need an employer with an employee-centric mindset, focused on their individual challenges and offering support to help them navigate the difficult intersections of their personal and professional lives.

As an employer, if you are unsure whether you are meeting those needs or making that personal connection, consider what sort of message you are sending to your employees. Are you recognizing the daily stressors your employees face? Are you offering support in addressing those challenges? Both reveal to your current and potential talent how much you value your relationship with them, as well as how much effort you are willing to put into building a stronger connection with them.

Strengthening this personal connection isn’t a difficult process. Here are a few ways to improve and develop a more employee-centric-culture.

Curate a suite of relevant benefits

During this time of annual enrollment, evaluate the benefits you are offering your employees and whether they are addressing your employees’ range of needs. To retain and regain talent, you must offer more than the standard array of benefits. While medical and dental are essential, you also need to closely target the other key needs of your employees. Adopt benefits that target specific areas, such as family wellbeing and childcare, or work with wellness vendors to implement programs that address issues such as mental health or specific condition management.

By helping to improve employees’ daily lives, you can build a stronger personal connection and communicate that they are valued first as people before employees.

Adopt technology that makes benefits easy to use and understand

The last thing you need is to develop a highly relevant benefits package, only for it to have low engagement due to a confusing or inefficient benefits experience. Remember, valuing your employees and connecting with them also means to understanding the importance of their time. Partnering with an innovative, employee-focused benefits technology provider can help you implement solutions that make using benefits more accessible and easier to understand.

Communicate your appreciation to employees directly and often

Employees generally want to feel a sense of belonging to their company, but 51% of those who quit within the past year did not experience this. Employers can dramatically improve their culture and relationship with employees via regular and open communication around the value of their work. When your organization hits their targets and goals as a result of their effort, make sure they know!

Training management in empathetic skills

Supervisors and managers act as the face of your company for most employees, and their behavior and communication are a reflection of your company’s values. Training your management teams in employee-focused and empathetic leadership skills can help them better connect with employees and convey their value for the relational aspects of your workplace. Ensure that not only the right people are in the right places in your organization, but also that the metrics for evaluating your leadership address the emotional needs of your employees.

Still unsure whether your organization makes the cut, or need some concrete tips for how to start making a positive change? Review this checklist to get ahead on creating an employee-centric workplace.