The Great Resignation: Why Your Nonprofit Employees Are Quitting and How to Stop It

Millions of people have quit their jobs across all job categories with many more considering it.

While many will argue it’s all about pay, according to Gallup research, the highest quit rate is among those that are “not engaged” and “actively disengaged” workers.

Engaged employees act differently, going above and beyond to surpass expectations, and that gives their organizations a competitive advantage. State of the Global Workplace: 2021 Report

Employee engagement is a measurement of the involvement and enthusiasm of employees and Gallup calculates it by having survey takers rate the following statements (what they call the 12 essential elements of engagement) on a scale from 1-5 with a sixth option of “don’t know/does not apply”:

1. I know what is expected of me at work.
2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.
3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.
6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.
7. At work, my opinions seem to count.
8. The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.
9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.
10. I have a best friend at work.
11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

I highlighted number five since it seems like the others all boil down to that one thing – caring.

It’s not about higher pay:

Gallup finds that it takes more than a 20% pay raise to lure most employees away from a manager who engages them, and next to nothing to poach most disengaged workers. The ‘Great Resignation’ Is Really the ‘Great Discontent’

It’s not about fun office perks:

Research suggests that companies should invest more in training managers to communicate respectfully and nurture employee well-being, rather than kitting out offices with trendy new accessories. RIP ping-pong. The era of wacky office perks is dead

It’s about caring.