Dear Editor,
According to the US Department of Labour, 11.5 million workers quit (resigned) their jobs over the months of April – June 2021. The impact on small and medium enterprises is assessed as being severe. Philip Kane, CEO of his own company, and who has analysed the situation, sees it as ‘alarming’, and logically argues that ‘addressing the situation is best achieved once one understands what is causing it. His article is titled ‘The Great Resignation’. Of course it all started with the consequences of the pandemic which offered so many opportunity to rethink their job choices. Kane quotes examples: “…fundamental unfairness in holds on promotions, frozen merit increases (of rare evidence in our public sector), and indiscriminate layoffs (more familiar in the local environment).” Then the analyst points to the issue of whether or not the benefits of a two-income household actually outweighs the cost. It would appear that the pandemic situation made workers reflect not only on personal safety, but on:
Lack of fair treatment
Having to deal with a horrible boss
An inequitable work-life balance
In this regard Kane opines that ‘Employers…by taking steps to create environments where associates (workers) feel safe, valued, and more empowered to make their own scheduling choices, stand a great chance of keeping these employees’. The writer quotes from another article of July 2021, that “workers prefer leaders who truly care about them and work to make their lives better. Workers want transparency. They want to be trusted. They want employers who recognise that managing in a Zoom economy is different, and leaders need different skills and training.” The other employee needs stressed are as follows:
‘simply want to be recognised’;
‘to communicate more’
‘…their Boards and HR Departments to finally awaken to the fact that narcissism (vanity) is a malignancy…’
‘…bullies have no business managing other human beings’
More familiarly, ‘they want to work for companies (read employers) they can be proud of, that are involved in their communities, and take a stand for things that they believe matter’; and ‘they want a say in decision-making…’ The climatic conclusion reads as follows: ‘Most associates are reasonable. Few expected that their leaders would have all the answers as this pandemic struck, then dragged on. What they want, at a minimum, is that their leaders take the time to honestly communicate about what is happening and to ask them for their input’. As far away as we are geographically from the North American business scenario, the whole situation rings such a familiar bell, even without pandemic. It is just that workers find it so hard to identify who are truly leaders, probably because the latter have been unable to convince themselves as such, for generations. But now is an excellent opportunity for them to prove they care, moreso in the public sector, where so many are ‘protesting’ the ‘great termination’ – indeed as a matter of urgency. Perhaps the private sector can set examples of caring ‘Leadership’ in these circumstances. Structured conversations amongst Equals are so critically needed.
Sincerely,
E.B. John
