{"id":10429,"date":"2021-11-29T10:00:45","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T10:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=10429"},"modified":"2026-01-29T09:32:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T09:32:17","slug":"the-great-resignation-hr-keep-top-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/the-great-resignation-hr-keep-top-talent\/","title":{"rendered":"The great resignation: How HR can keep top talent"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe great resignation: How HR can keep top talent\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Has your inbox been inundated with resignations over the past few months? If so, you\u2019re not alone; so many other organisations are in the same boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analysts are calling it the great resignation \u2013 with 26% to 40% of mid-career staff expected to leave their jobs this year<\/a> \u2013 but why are employees suddenly leaving en masse?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what we cover in this article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the great resignation?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are people leaving in droves?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 tips to keep top talent at your organisation<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Keep an eye on your People data and analytics for signs of churn<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Find out what your employees want from their workplace<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Encourage a healthy work-life balance<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Provide plenty of development opportunities<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Benchmark your benefits against other organisations<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Carefully consider your policies around ways of working<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employees come and go but make sure they\u2019re leaving for the right reasons<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download your free copy of HR in the moment: Impact through insights<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is the great resignation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The great resignation is the name economists and analysts have given to a post-pandemic surge of people leaving their jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to one survey, 41% were thinking of quitting their jobs<\/a>. In reality, it means that over one-in-three of your colleagues are considering a move. That\u2019s huge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the reality of people actually upping and leaving is slightly different, with around 5% of employees leaving<\/a> since the start of the pandemic \u2013 but that\u2019s still one-in-20 employees quitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It suggests we\u2019re not out of the woods yet and people will likely continue to hand in their notices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So HR teams need to take action now by looking at how they can retain their top talent and introduce initiatives that will make them want to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are people leaving in droves?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hard to pinpoint one thing that\u2019s caused the great resignation. It\u2019s likely to be several factors, and many related to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the recent period of uncertainty we\u2019ve had, more people than ever are suffering from burnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internet searches of the term \u2018burnout\u2019<\/a>, the exhaustion employees feel from being swamped in work or the stress as a result, have been rapidly increasing, suggesting employees are becoming aware than ever of how their employment is impacting their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another reason is that the pandemic has convinced many people to re-assess their priorities in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With 74% of employees expecting remote work to become standard<\/a>, many employees are likely to be looking for jobs that offer more flexibility if their employers are requiring them to go back into the office full time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many others have made the decision to take a career break or simply have a fresh start somewhere new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 tips to keep top talent at your organisation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s never a good time to sit back and let your best talent leave, but organisations are being tested to their limit to keep hold of their employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s up to HR and People teams, along with other business leaders, to think carefully about how they can retain employees and start taking action now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are our top six ways HR and People teams can stem the exodus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Keep an eye on your People data and analytics for signs of churn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, keep your eye on the numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A staggering 62% of HR leaders<\/a> say they\u2019re not able to use data to spot trends and make business-related predictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But forward-looking metrics can predict who are a flight risk, and what affect this could have if they leave, including the impact on your business operations and the bottom line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From this, your HR and People team can understand where the problems could arise and make contingency plans to make sure it has a minimal effect on the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look at creating interactive dashboards with your HR and People system<\/a> to closely monitor the trends that really matter to your organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Find out what your employees want from their workplace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t guess what your employees want from their employer in this new world of work. Ask them with the likes of pulse surveys and \u2018always listening\u2019 surveys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This goes back to our point on the data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By asking the questions you need answers to, you\u2019ll have the data to support your decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, as a result, you should find it much easier to make decisions that benefit your workforce and allow them to feel that they\u2019re shaping the organisation as it changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download your free copy of HR in the moment: Impact through insights<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Encourage a healthy work-life balance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If burnout really is the main reason employees are looking for greener pastures, don\u2019t ignore it. You have the power to do something about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Burnout is directly correlated with employee turnover<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, the best way to stop employees leaving is to make sure they are not suffering from burnout and support their wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if they are suffering from burnout, put initiatives in place to support them so they get a healthy work-life balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the most popular ways to improve work-life balance and wellbeing during this new era of work include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n