It’s a daily occurrence to hear that someone is leaving a company or looking for a new job as we begin 2022. I talk to business leaders who feel challenged to hire and retain talented people — and it’s not surprising, given that the latest jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that, 4.5 million people quit their jobs in November.
According to a January 6th article in The New Yorker by Dorothy Wickenden, a major reason is that the COVID-19 pandemic, which has changed the relationship between office workers and their workplaces, and has exacerbated challenges faced by workers in health, hospitality, education, and other sectors. Some also argue that the Great Resignation is part of a larger movement against employers who ask more of their employees while providing less in terms of work satisfaction.
Employees want opportunity and growth
What is driving the change? Employees are looking for growth, and they are looking for work that matters. And with all of us learning to work remotely and virtually over the past two years, distance and location are no longer limitations for candidates considering a new job, or for hiring managers seeking the best talent. Options for candidates seeking a new job are numerous — in all sectors, including marketing.
Marcomm has seen this trend grow significantly over the past 18 months. And we’re seeing an even greater desire from candidates to “try before they buy” a new job. Instead of hiring managers being in the driver’s seat, candidates are steering the ship — and they want to know their next job is going to be a good opportunity.
There’s never been a better time for marketing professionals — especially those looking for growth and development opportunities — to consider opening their options to contract roles.
Just recently Marcomm placed a candidate in contract-to-hire role after a client had looked for three months for a candidate to fill a pretty innovative internal communication and recruiting role. In fact, we bent the rules and looked at candidates with aspirational qualities who would find the role interesting and challenging, thus creating a solid and lengthy opportunity for growth. As an added benefit, both the candidate and the company get the opportunity to work together to ensure it’s a good fit before the big commitment.
Read about how Marcomm helps companies with our Hiring Solutions
We understand that it takes time to review or even truly understand what you are looking for in a qualified candidate. Marcomm helped Independent Pet Partners with their need to fill their Brand Campaign & Promotions Manager by getting them a qualified candidate within 24 hours. Sometimes you know exactly what you need, but you just don’t know where to find it. Let Marcomm serve up the right talent to fill your marketing gap.
Is it about money, or work that matters?
A Computerworld article by Lucas Mearian recently stated that the Great Resignation is also being driven by employees seeking better pay and benefits. A whopping two-thirds of employees say they may leave their job in the next 12 months, with 15% of white-collar professionals planning to depart for greater opportunity.
In the article, Mearian shares results from a Joblist survey released in January 2022 and conducted over the previous three months. According to the survey, 74% of full-time employees and 51% of part-time workers said they’re planning to quit their jobs this year.
That’s a staggering shift in the workplace. While the majority of these roles are in retail, hospitability, manufacturing and the like, 15% of professionals plan to move as well. What’s the impact to your team if you lose 15% of your marketing department, or 15% of your leadership team? And what can you do to minimize your risk?
Further in the Computerworld article, Jack Gold, president and principal analyst at J. Gold Associates, weighed in and said, “The Joblist results seem far too high and may rely too much on a self-selecting sample of people already on the site searching for a job,” he stated, “meaning they’re not representative of the general population.”
Gold goes on to discuss that people who feel they are accomplishing something rarely leave. Salary alone does not drive their decision to move on. But something is driving people to leave and knowing what that is could be the key to changing the trajectory of departures.
Market to your employees
So, what’s your plan? Are you working on growth strategies to retain employees? Are you focused on benefits and compensation? And a bigger question is, “Are you focused on marketing internally to your most valuable audience — your employees?”
In a day where digital media is used routinely to reach target audiences, prospects and even current clients, it’s astounding that we often forget to talk to our internal employee audience. And we also forget the power of appreciation and recognition.
According to a recent Inc. article about the Great Resignation, forward- thinking companies are not only working on compensation plans to retain employees but are recognizing the value of a simple “thank you.” As the article states that, “Both gratitude and recognition are seen as drivers of employee engagement, something that proves especially useful when worker morale dips.”
Want to learn what your employees are thinking? Consider doing Voice of Employee survey research— it is similar to Voice of Customer (VoC), but focused on internal voices. Read more about Marcomm’s experience with VoC and VoE.
Learn more about all of the marketing services Marcomm provides.
At Marcomm, we’re committed to Connecting Companies to Marketing Talent in new and unique ways. And we will help your company find, place and retain great marketing talent through the utilization of contract roles, and specifically contract-to-hire opportunities.
