The Great Resignation

As a bit of an optimist, I prefer to think of things that grow. Have you ever wondered why Hawaii is so beautiful and such a huge tourist attraction? It's because it was once a steaming pile of fire and ash. Whether it is mankind or the world within which we live, the only constant is everything changes. And in almost all cases, it changes for the better. We tend to register things in the negative and while unfortunate, it just seems to be the way we think as human beings. We are now at a time in capitalism where individual human beings are fully seizing their rights to make their own decision in order to better their lives.

Is someone sitting at home exercising their right to not work and live off government money? Probably. Should "we" as human beings celebrate that? Absolutely not. While it may be a necessity for some, overall, it is not an advancement.

What if someone has been doing a good job and in the same role for several years without a whiff of promotion or increase? Most people would say that person should step up and ask for it. However, isn't it the company's responsibility, if they like their employees, to step up and communicate with those employees and make the company better through improvements they make with their staff?

I would prefer to call our current situation, "The Amazing Race". To be fair, I do love the show, but also it feels appropriate. Maybe we change it to..."The Amazing Corporate Race"?... Yes, that sounds better! Let's call it that as it much more clearly defines what's going on right now!

Companies, HR, and Hiring Managers would rather focus on what's happening to them...people are resigning. They are resigning quicker than in any other time in history. However, shouldn't that be the point? As organizations (and a business owner myself), shouldn't we consider this a "race" to keep our people? A "race" to find ways to attract more people? And when someone resigns, a "race" to quickly identify the "why", change as needed, and then a "race" to hire even better than before?

I commend companies that are currently growing because they are elevating their people. As someone who makes a living off of conducting executive searches and consulting with human resources and hiring managers on recruitment strategies, I believe I'm in a good place to make a few evaluations of our current situation. Please understand, I'm a capitalist at heart - in very basic terms. "Individual/Company who makes the coolest gizmo/service at the right price should make the most money." Therefore, we should adapt the same with our employees, right? The employer with the coolest place to work with the most benefits and best culture should get the best employees? Shouldn't this be the law of the land when it comes to growth in today's economy?

If we continue to focus on "The Great Resignation", we become a "Woe is Me!" market and begin to address things from a negative perspective. If there's one thing I learned over the years, positivity is what builds, creates, and grows.

Please join me in finding positive ways to address what seems like a negative situation. Don't get me wrong, this is not a comment on compensation. While I do believe some companies need to reevaluate, I think most companies do a good job in this area. This is about corporate culture, employee engagement, and overall employee satisfaction.

I promise, we will all be better off in a few years if we start addressing issues and finding better ways to keep our current staff while continuing to create an internal strategic recruitment model!