Businesses that let employees go during the pandemic–-or found they left of their own accord–-are now finding it difficult to fill roles. The ripples of “The Great Resignation” are being felt from the boardroom to the post room. And this includes the world of marketing where people are ambitious to progress, broaden their knowledge and sharpen new skill sets at speed.

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This recruitment and retention challenge resonates with me as I celebrate my 10th anniversary at my agency. My own experience has helped me understand what I need to deliver to keep my people happy—what I need to create in terms of our company culture to ensure existing talent wants to stay and new talent wants to join. Believe it or not, an equation to solve retention issues—at least the majority of them—exists. And it’s doable. It just requires the adoption of five key priorities.

Flight path

If the company is growing, it presents plenty of opportunities for people who are willing to push themselves. Keep an eye out for employees who demonstrate they’re hungry for new challenges even though they’re busy with “business as usual.” Often giving them new responsibilities will unleash a newfound enthusiasm and sense of ownership. Keep the other eye toward the future and consider how people could develop in directions other than just upward. For instance, does their skill lend itself to a different department or a management role? They might have the potential to move from a biddable media role into a data-led capacity. Developing talent from within is also rewarding for business leaders, who get to experience an employee’s growth firsthand.

Vision

When there’s a vision for the business aligned to their own values, people feel more motivated. But this needs to go beyond a sign on the wall or website; it needs to be consistent in communication, action and outcomes. The vision can’t change every few months on a whim, be adjusted because of one business opportunity or be forgotten about. Ideally, it’s something tangible that we can build together in a set period of time, taking pride in our efforts as we watch them play out in front of us.

Teamwork

Having smart, diverse, thoughtful people around you is key, and always will be. Dialogue drives both knowledge and aspiration. We learn, we connect, we take each other’s’ ideas and build upon them to arrive at something we wouldn’t have found otherwise.  But diversity alone isn’t enough—it must be accompanied by inclusion, so that everyone feels welcomed, respected and valued. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that we must also hold ourselves accountable—checking on how our people actually feel, encouraging them to speak up and express themselves. Working groups, assessments and a demonstrated commitment to consistently try to do better, addressing concerns head-on as they arise. As the saying goes, “If you’re the smartest in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”

Autonomy

This has been a constant experience for me, and something I realize flat-out matters. Giving employees leeway to explore, try original approaches and yes, make mistakes, is both motivating and skill-building. But functional autonomy requires an investment in training and management ability, as you can't automatically expect high performers to be effective managers. But fundamentally, bosses who allow employees the flexibility to find their leadership style reap the rewards in kind. They can feel satisfaction from empowering successes while the employee feels self-satisfaction from knowing they are trusted and valued.

Good boss behavior

This is key. Does your boss push you to benefit from all of the above and unlock your potential? Are they just a boss, or do they set the vision for you to go after relentlessly, encouraging you along the way? In a phrase, good bosses help retain talent and are a key tool in the fight against attrition. Surveys suggest that not having a good boss is the main reason why people leave, so let people do their job and jump in only when you need to. Give them the flexibility to be and prove themselves. And listen to what they say they want—from where they work to when, and the benefits they get. 

So how do you stay on track as a “good” boss? Check yourself; monitor your own behavior and your modes of working. And listen up, reflect and pivot.

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