Why staff independence is key to beating ‘The Great Resignation’

More than half of workers are considering a change in job this year.

That’s according to a 2022 survey by Henley Business School, and it’s a statistic nobody can seem to disagree with—the situation has even been dubbed ‘The Great Resignation’.

And since it could cost your business over £30,000 per employee that quits, the pressure to retain staff is on.

But don’t sweat it—we’ve got some forward-thinking tips to help your business beat ‘The Great Resignation’.

And even if you’re not facing an employee drought (yet), these practices are sure to be valuable for your business moving forward.

But first, let’s look at where this angst has come from…

What’s caused ‘The Great Resignation’?

In short, burnout.

If that’s a new term for you, burnout is essentially physical and/or emotional exhaustion caused by work-related stress. Burnout isn’t just terrible for your staff’s mental health—they’ll also work slower, to a lower quality, and could infect your team with negativity.

And recently, burnout has morphed into a bigger beast than ever before.

Because even before COVID hit, the economic climate provided a grim landscape for job seekers. For the first time in history, millennials now in their 20s and 30s will be poorer than their parents.

Sprinkle in a bit of climate change, unpredictable politics, and now years of a global lockdown, and voilà—you have an unbeatable recipe for widespread frustration. And it’s a taste people are sick of.

So, fed up with feeling the negative effects of things they have no real power over, staff are changing things they can control—like how they work, and who they work for.

And that’s where ‘The Great Resignation’ comes in.

How can my business avoid being affected by ‘The Great Resignation’?

Now, you don’t want your staff to change who they work for (because that’s you!). So, you need to change how they work.

And since it’s a lack of control fuelling feelings of burnout and frustration, the key is to help your staff feel included in your company’s decision-making processes.

Remote working gives your staff the power to decide where they work, and it’s become hugely popular. In fact, Bloomberg reported that 40% of staff would consider walking away from their current role if remote working was taken away.

Flexitime (or ‘flexible working’) is another great employee benefit that lets your team decide when to start and finish their workday, provided they’re working their contracted hours.

And it turns out these working styles are great for business. A 2021 study found that job autonomy and self-leadership had significant positive effects on employee engagement and productivity.

So, remote working and flexitime are secret weapons for fighting ‘The Great Resignation’—and you’d be smart to consider at least one of them.

How can I set up remote or flexible working in my workplace?

Switching up how you work might seem intimidating, but with the right help it’s as easy as pie. And you won’t find anything simpler, or more effective, than Blip.

Blip is a smart time-tracking app that lets your staff clock in and out of work using only their mobiles. But that’s not all…

Blip’s geolocation feature makes setting up remote working incredibly easy. Managers can simply open the app and create a geofence (a virtual boundary) around their workplace. Then, when an employee enters or leaves that area, Blip cleverly prompts them to clock in or out.

And since managers can set up and monitor a geofence anywhere, staff can work at the office, at home, their favourite coffee spot… it’s up to you!

Also, Blip automatically records the hours your staff have worked—making it the perfect tool for flexitime. With Blip, there’s never a dispute about how long your staff have worked, regardless of when they start or finish.

So, whether you’re introducing remote working or flexitime to combat ‘The Great Resignation’, or you’re simply looking for a more efficient way to manage staff hours, Blip is your new best friend.

Try it out for yourself—book your free demo today.