The COVID-19 pandemic, experts warn, is far from other. Your organization will need to continue to function and, in fact, up its game in some areas. Finding and keeping the best and the brightest will take on a new urgency. To be prepared, take a few key steps:
- Reframe your perspective on turnover. This may be a common problem, but don’t think of it as business as usual. Calculate the real impact of turnover and develop a strategy to identify and address the reasons employees leave. Consider pandemic-related reasons for turnover, such as workers don’t feel you’re doing enough to keep them safe.
- Do away with exit interviews. Find out what employees are thinking and feeling before they’re heading out the door. Schedule short (20- to 30-minute) discussions with employees, ask open-ended questions, and listen without judging. You don’t have to do these all at once; schedule a few each week. Ask managers to identify employees who seem bored, restless, or disgruntled, and try to meet with them early in the process.
- Build and work to maintain an only-the-best reputation. Look at your hiring processes and identify any obstacles preventing or discouraging managers from pursuing and attracting top talent.
