How your content can stop the Great Resignation

The office is back- but workers aren't. Many employees are leaving their old jobs. The trend, also known as the Great Resignation, baffles economists and worries business. How can you stem the tide of the Great Resignation? With the right content strategy. Sounds outrageous? Hear me out.

What is the Great Resignation?

Also known as "The Big Quit", the Great Resignation describes a new work phenomenon: workers leaving their old jobs in droves. The trend began in spring 2021 in the USA, but its ripple effects are felt in the U.K. Anthony Klotz most likely created the term and explained the reasons behind it.   

Why does it happen?

Klotz named four trends that led to the Great Resignation. First, many people who wanted to leave their job held onto it during the pandemic. Now that the situation has improved somewhat, they have finally quit their jobs.

Then there's burnout. Many workers who kept us going throughout the pandemic, such as supermarket employees or truck drivers, now resign due to poor mental health. They're exhausted, and that "burnover", as he calls it, shows up in the statistics. 

Third, there's the interesting phenomenon of lockdown epiphanies. Many of us realised that, when push comes to shove, they'd rather live a little bit more than earn a high salary that comes with a 2-hour commute. Others realised they wanted to have their own company and are now off the job market. 

And then some want to stay employed but don't like working in an office anymore. If their employers don't give them the option of working from home permanently, they quit and are going to one who will. 

What does content have to do with it?  

As humans, we communicate mainly with words. More than that, some words can cause a strong emotional reaction and raise expectations. For example, an article in your internal magazine about the benefits of working from home suggests your company favours it. If the board then sends an email just a few days later, rejecting wfh as the new normal, you have a discrepancy. Your content has just damaged your image, no matter how well-intentioned that article was.

If your company didn't engage with its teams during Covid but now builds a marketing strategy that pretends it cares, that will backfire. In this situation, your content will only provoke cynicism, not engagement.

Your overall branding and content strategy has to reflect your actual values, not those made in a marketings session. Are you inclusive? Everyone is these days. But how does it show? In an excellent article? Or do you employ people with a minority background? From a working-class background? How many of your employees are disabled? Is your company wheelchair-friendly? If not, why do you think a blog post or newsletter about diversity will impress your teams? They know the reality. 

Here's what you could do instead: Bare your neck. Acknowledge that your company isn't anywhere near where you want it to be in terms of diversity. Tell your readers why. And ask them for their input. That creates authentic engagement and will make it possible to tackle any difficulties you might be facing. 

How can a company fix the issue?

Admit mistakes. During an unprecedented situation, a business might panic and fire valuable employees or don't treat them well. We're all human—even CEOs.

• Before creating a new campaign, have chats with your teams. I firmly believe the right content makes life easier for your team. But you have to make sure you have content that speaks to them, one that speaks to your challenges and the problem you are trying to solve. Ask them what they need. And reflect that (in their own words) in your campaign.

• Create helpful content that solves an immediate problem. Hacks and how-to' s are very popular with my clients because they do exactly that.

• List out bullet points of topics you know your employees and customers care about and consistently publish quality content on those topics. You'll need a content calendar to stay on top of that.

• Encourage your teams to suggest new topics. If they're hesitant at first, listen to their conversations by the watercooler or the small talk before meeting if you're working remotely. What's keeping them busy? Childcare issues? Struggles to create a routine for the weird new world of working at home AND in the office? Jot these down and then use them as a blueprint for your content strategy.

Conclusion

The right content strategy can create a higher engagement rate and a feeling of connection between co-workers. That, in turn, can help you increase retention. But such a content strategy can never be seen as independent from your overall company culture. If you find it hard to reflect your values in your content, are they the right ones? Or do you feel your team can't stomach the truth? Not every company wants to change the world, but it should be transparent about its values and goals. If you can do that, chances are your company will attract the right people for your team and keep those valuable to you. 

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