How to retain your valuable team members during the Great Resignation
Blog series Part 1 - Introduction
October 2023 - Marlo Turner Ritchie and Adrienn Lukács
Since the pandemic, nonprofits have been experiencing what Imagine Canada has started calling The Great Resignation - a mass exodus of workers from the nonprofit sector into other sectors, entrepreneurship and retirement.
As a team, we have seen first-hand the impacts of labour shortages across the sector. Even organizations with really solid salaries and benefits are struggling to recruit. What needs to shift? What can be done when immediately raising salaries is not a reality for many organizations?
While we cannot do better for the people who have already left, we can improve things for those still working in the sector. The investment that organizations put into retaining talent pays for itself, because the cost of having to constantly look for staff is enormous for nonprofits. Additionally, finding dedicated and competent employees who align with the organizational culture and then investing in onboarding and training them can take a long time, which puts extra stress and workload on organizations and their leaders in a context where many organizations are already overwhelmed. This also has impacts on programming and at the end of the line; on participants and service users.
Managers and organizations who don’t respond adequately to the new reality of work-life balance expectations will continue to face challenges around staff retention. While working from home during the pandemic was heaven for some, many did not prefer it. Most organizations that we work with have embraced the new reality of hybrid work. Executive Directors and Boards need to figure out how to accommodate these new realities within their organization, especially when employees can just leave and find more flexible working conditions elsewhere.
37% of people leave their jobs due to an unmanageable workload, a lack of appreciation, or a desire to find a role that allows them the flexibility to work in a way that benefits their well-being and their family’s well-being.
In addition to encouraging organizations to continue fighting collectively for better pay and working conditions in the sector, our team felt that it was important to put forward some ideas and solutions that your organization could immediately adopt.
In this 4-part blog series, we will provide ideas as to how to retain your valuable employees through strategies that promote adaptive, vibrant, thriving workplaces.
We know that the issues of recruitment and retention are intertwined, and that it is a strong workers’ market out there, so these strategies will also support you to stand out in the crowd and attract the best possible talent to your team.
Workforce retention strategy #1:
Survey your employees about what they want to see change in terms of the workplace culture, and what would help them feel better supported at the workplace. Form a committee with board and staff, analyse the results, and bring a summary back to staff and the board. Allow time and space for discussions on this theme and listen deeply to what your staff are saying.
Seems pretty obvious, right? Most senior leaders who we consult with don’t actually do this and yet it can save you a ton of hassle and research. Also, you will have more buy-in and better results in terms of what you plan on implementing.
Here are some of the top needs and preferences of nonprofit employees, based on our research and our knowledge of what staff are finding important:
Stronger commitment to JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, inclusion) that is led by a diverse leadership team, with a solid action plan
Better work-life balance including opportunities for the staff as a whole to rest and recharge
More manageable workload including “saying no” more often when faced with increased demands from partners and participants
Feeling more appreciated through more empowering supervisory approaches, performance management systems and opportunities to stop and celebrate the work together as a team
More flexibility around work arrangements including work from home options combined with in-office needs
Clearer communication and more collaboration from leaders around priorities and expectations of staff
Team connection opportunities given the new reality of remote work, a need to continue to bring the team together in person to connect and collaborate
How do your current policies promote the above characteristics of a welcoming, satisfying workplace? What needs to change for your organization? What do your staff think?
Starting with a simple survey of staff is a great place to start. Staff will generate ideas that senior leadership may not have considered.
The Ontario Nonprofit Network has been engaged in research and development around the concept of “decent work” for a few years now.
Decent work means more than fair wages and benefits. It reflects a cultural shift that builds on the values that drive your work in your community. Decent workplaces are fair, stable and productive workplaces. Decent work means building a culture of equity and inclusion at work, and ensuring everyone’s voices are valued and heard. Decent work means acknowledging the highly gendered nature of the nonprofit sector’s workforce – and developing solutions that address women’s particular interests and concerns.
Check out their platform for some great resources on this topic and stay tuned for our upcoming blog pieces to see how to foster decent work in your organization. We are here to empower you to implement the latest retention and positive work culture practices from the sector today.
Sources used:
Conversations and work with our own clients
YMCA WorkWell Workplace Well-being Report, 2021
Charity Village Podcast - episode “The Great Resignation’’ - March 8, 2022