What to do about the quitters
Hi friend,
Happy fall!
I want to share two thoughts and musings with you today.
First: My shameless plug.
It’s been a really fun month launching my first book, Bringing Up the Boss. I’m getting over the awkwardness of hearing my voice on podcasts and embracing my upspeak, I made my first top ten list, and I’ve had the thrill to see my book in the flesh in a bookstore (I creepily kept picking it up and making loud comments like “Wow - this book changed my life!”)
Bringing Up the Boss is a labor of love: my goal is for this book to get in the hands of as many aspiring managers, new managers, and experienced managers in order to make their work lives a little bit easier.
If you haven’t had the chance yet, and you’re moved to do so, could you please order Bringing Up the Boss or even better, order copies for your whole team?These early sales are so incredibly important as a signal to booksellers that there is demand for the book.
Some of you have commented that you really wish your boss had the book. So, if you want to anonymously order a copy for your boss, let me know. I can totally make a stealth delivery happen. :)
Second: Why is everyone quitting?
New research shows that the narrative that everyone is quitting their jobs in droves isn’t fully accurate. Rather employees who are not engaged at work (obvi!), especially those who joined an organization during COVID, are far more likely to bail on a job.
We are now at the point in the pandemic when folks may have joined a team remotely and then quit remotely - having never met their coworkers in person. As you can imagine, this makes it very easy for someone to leave a job - the individual doesn’t have strong connections so quitting is as easy as slowly closing the company laptop - and poof! Coworkers and bosses disappear into the ether.
I know much has been written about how to keep a team engaged during this hamster wheel of remote work. But how can you, as a manager, make sure you foster true bonds with your team members who you have never met in person before?
Here’s a quick list of actions you can start doing tomorrow to make sure your team member feels connected to you and your organization (and doesn’t banish you to the dark corners of the interwebs!)
Pick up the phone. Get into the habit of making quick phone calls to your team member for updates and questions. I often feel closest to those who I speak on the phone with multiple times a day, than those people who I am with on long Zoom meetings.
Get to know your team member on a deeper level, but do that by sharing more about you (and being vulnerable). We often put the onus on the new team member to share more about their lives. But it’s hard to do that as the new person and he/she might not know what’s appropriate or expected. Rather, as the manager, model the behavior. Share what you’re struggling with during the day, how you’re feeling, and pieces of your life outside of work.
Invest in long-term planning and development conversations with your team member. Help your team member get excited about the future she has at your organization. Pick a long-term development exercise and do it with your team member: you’ll learn about her and build trust, and your team member will appreciate the commitment you have to her growth.
Incorporate some beautiful questions into your team meetings and 1:1s. These beautiful questions help your team members think about their work in a different way and can help build connection and trust.
Company town halls, team virtual happy hours, and group ice breaker exercises might be a nice distraction from the mundanity of remote work. But true connection - the kind that can withstand never meeting someone in person and feeling like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself - is done through thoughtful, genuine 1:1 relationship building.
Happy connecting!
Rachel
ICYMI:
Book Talk: Next Tuesday night, I’ll speak virtually to the Penn Club of NY. Would love for you to join! Please sign-up here for the zoom details.
Managing Burnout: Burnout actually comes in three types, and how we address it (and prevent it) isn’t the same for each type.
The Expedition Mindset: Managing, like mountain climbing, is tough. Some musings on how to bring a new mindset to your teams and work.
Stacking Benjamins: For those of you audio learners, some musings about being a great manager in podcast form (Interview starts at 27:00)
[The Chancellor prepping for her big career transition - she knows what’s up!]
Want more info? Check out https://rachelpacheco.com
Or, check out the book, Bringing Up the Boss: Practical Lessons for New Managers