This fall the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary, which analyzes trends in job openings, hires, and separations in the public and private sectors. Their summary for September 2021 demonstrated a record high level of turnover in both the public and private sectors with approximately 4.4 million workers quitting their jobs in September 2021. This quit rate is approximately 33.3% higher than the quit rate for September 2020. This period of high employee turnover, otherwise dubbed as the “Great Resignation,” has resulted in widespread management and service delivery challenges.
This high level of turnover is in part due to the pandemic and in part due to changing preferences in the work force. However, employee turnover is not a new occurrence nor is it expected to decrease any time soon. Thus, managers and supervisors should be aware of how to manage employee resignations and how to successfully onboard new employees with minimal disruptions to services and workplace culture.
In terms of employee resignations, it may be beneficial to engage in a discussion with the departing employee to determine their motivations for seeking alternative employment. While it may be hard to hear criticisms, employers should consider an employee’s motivations for seeking other employment and determine whether any changes can be made to policies or practices to prevent additional separations. Additionally, employers should be aware of any sensitive data or information the departing employee may have, including access to confidential or proprietary files, customer lists, or security or password information. Finally, it may be beneficial to have the departing employee either train their replacement, if there is time, or compile a departing document summarizing the status of their assignments and the location of any important documents.
In terms of onboarding, it is critical new employees feel supported in their roles. This may require on-the-job training or assigning the employee a mentor to address their questions. One of the main reasons people leave a new job is because they do not feel supported in their role. Thus, it is important for employers to foster a welcoming, communicative, and supportive environment for new employees. It also may be beneficial to meet with the employee once they have started to determine whether any changes may be made to make them more comfortable in their role, such as an equipment change or slight schedule modification.
The attorneys at Fishel Downey regularly advise employers on onboarding and separation issues. If you have a specific question or scenario, and would like assistance, contact one of the attorneys at Fishel Downey Albrecht & Riepenhoff LLP at 614-221-1216.