The reality of this burnout and stress gave our team pause. Instead of talking New Year tech trends and piling on ideas to do more, we want to help find ways to create a more flexible and happier work environment. Start by reflecting on how it’s gone the last two years. What IT systems and tools have worked well for staff in quarantine and hybrid work? Have some fallen short? Do some create more frustration and less productivity?
Write down the answers. Then go and ask the same questions to your leadership team and their staff. Find out what it will take to keep employees happy and make an action plan. Company human resources professionals call this a stay interview. Instead of waiting until employees give two weeks’ notice, leadership teams are listening to top performers before they leave. During stay interviews, company leaders are hearing from employees that they want to work remotely. Are your IT systems set up for that? Maybe you think it’s going to cost a lot.
Cloud-based IT systems that create maximum work flexibility are affordable, especially when compared to the cost to hire and retain a new staff person. A stat from the Society for Human Resource Management tells us the average cost to hire a new staff person is nearly $4,500. If you have 100 people on staff, the cost to give one person work flexibility using a cloud-based system is $100 per person each month. That’s a small price to retain an employee who wants remote work flexibility to stay on the job.