How to Address the Great Resignation

A recent analysis by Gallup found that almost half of America’s working population (48%) is actively searching for a new job or open to new opportunities. Startling numbers for sure. As we dig deeper, we find that the U.S. Department of Labor reported, during April, May, and June 2021, a total of 11.5 million workers quit their jobs. And, in July, another 4 million workers quit. 

As we head into the busiest time for retail and supply chain businesses, there are two questions on leaders’ minds – what’s causing this turnover, and what can we do about it?

The “Great Resignation”

While there’s no single reason for the attrition we’re seeing, it’s clear that the pandemic caused one of the most significant changes to the way people work in over a century. For salaried professionals, new models such as hybrid work are desired and expected. But what about hourly employees?

Hourly employees have wanted more flexibility, and this need has been evolving for years. It’s reflected in a myriad of scheduling legislation designed to help provide more predictability in their schedules. To attract employees, providing a living wage is also critical. 

But beyond providing a living wage, companies must deliver value to keep their employees happy and motivated. Schedule empowerment is the number one thing employees value. In a recent survey conducted by Legion, we found that other than pay, the top reason employees surveyed (59%)  would quit their job is a lack of schedule empowerment.

Today’s workers want flexibility in when, how, and where they work. In our survey, employees told us that one key area that impacts their overall satisfaction is the ability to swap shifts or pick up additional shifts. These employees are often working multiple jobs, doing gig work, or balancing home and school responsibilities. But, it’s a challenge for managers to meet this need. Three-quarters (75%) of managers report filling open shifts by calling or emailing employees they think will be interested in picking up a shift. That’s inefficient and may also open managers to compliance issues, increased labor costs, and perceived favoritism. Managers could actually be contributing to attrition by always giving shifts to “favorite” employees and not sharing the opportunity with all employees. 

Attracting and Retaining Employees by Empowering Them

Delivering value through workforce management is a great place to start. For example, employees have more control when they can swap a shift easily, pick up an open one, or check their schedule online. In addition, tools that make it easy to share preferences or communicate schedule changes with managers can improve and streamline communications. And, making it easy for employees to provide and update their work preferences so they receive targeted shift offers and personalized schedules empowers them to control when and how they work. 
Legion WFM enables you to optimize labor efficiencies and the employee experience simultaneously. You can also improve the manager experience by helping them save time, control costs, and minimize compliance risk, so they can provide a better experience to your employees. Legion’s AI-driven optimization automatically generates optimal schedules and targeted offers – saving managers an average of 5 hours per week. 

And while technology is great, having a solution that your employees will adopt and embrace can mean the difference between success and failure. Legion WFM delivers all of these powerful capabilities in an easy-to-use mobile app with 95% employee adoption and daily use. 

To learn more about how Legion WFM can help you create a more empowered workforce, contact us to schedule a demo.