As the number of job opportunities for candidates have swelled over recent months, this has left the majority of HR leaders concerned about employee turnover in the near future.
According to new research carried out by Gartner, well over four in five (91 per cent) HR leaders feel concern about employee turnover.
This comes amid the Great Resignation where, according to data by Personio, close to two-fifths (38 per cent) of employees are looking to change roles within the next six to twelve months.
Gartner’s survey also showed that one in three workers in the UK (32 per cent) are considering at least two other job offers simultaneously.
Jamie Kohn, research director in the Gartner HR practice, states that “organisations are facing a very different — and extremely competitive — job market than years past”.
While many are experiencing a record number of open roles, he adds, “companies are also trying to mitigate pent-up employee turnover.”
To retain staff, Gartner recommends aligning flexibility to employee and work needs.
This includes considering different forms of flexible working which could entail altering daily work hours, work location or the length of the work-week.
However, this should be adapted based on the specific context of the roles, the study adds.
Furthermore, Gartner also suggests organisations should help employees think broadly about career opportunities.
HR leaders should conceptualise the potential career paths of their workers directly reporting to them – not just specific next steps.
This approach allows leaders to go beyond their employees’ current skill sets and help guide them based on personal interests, business growth opportunities and experiences.
Managers could also encourage employees to seek neutral mentors and coaches who can assist them with thinking creatively about the development opportunities available to them.
Finally, Gartner suggests hiring for potential rather than experience in order to fill roles.
Due to the competitive nature of the labour market, organisations need to start considering what skills the larger organisation needs to succeed in the future.
As such, HR leaders should identify long-term talent gaps at the organisational level and partner with business leaders to acquire the needed critical skills which includes finding skills outside traditional career paths, both inside and outside the organisation.
Jamie Kohn added:
Organisations often overlook the potential within their own organisation.
Improving internal mobility can help employers find employees with adjacent skills, boost diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and tap into nontraditional talent pools that are outside customary recruiting hot spots.
*Gartner surveyed 572 HR leaders to obtain these results in July 2021.
Monica Sharma is an English Literature graduate from the University of Warwick. As Editor for HRreview, her particular interests in HR include issues concerning diversity, employment law and wellbeing in the workplace. Alongside this, she has written for student publications in both England and Canada. Monica has also presented her academic work concerning the relationship between legal systems, sexual harassment and racism at a university conference at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.
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