The Great Resignation has created historic labor market headaches for companies across a broad spectrum of industries and organizations. Although a historic worker shortage is a challenge for employers, it’s always possible to find silver linings in even the most daunting of circumstances.
For labor-strapped employers, one of those silver linings is the ability to let staff shine and impress. While many workers may struggle with the pressure of working in a short-staffed environment, others will surprise their employers by rising to the challenge and excelling. This is an occasion for the cream to rise to the top and stand out.
Opportunities for Employees to Shine
Consider, for example, a retail store operated by a team of eight staff plus one store manager. Imagine that the manager quits the job to take a new role with another store. Even though this obviously creates a challenge for the store in the short term, it also provides an opportunity for the eight staff members to take on greater responsibility and initiative. It might even represent an opportunity for one of them to take on the management role through a promotion.
Employees won’t necessarily automatically shift into next-person-up mode as colleagues leave the organization, but it’s crucial for companies to communicate both their expectation that employees will step up to the challenge and the fact that there are opportunities for advancement and personal growth for those who do so.
Opportunities Drive Engagement
This can be a dream come true for ambitious employees who may have previously felt stagnant in their careers at a time when upward career advancement didn’t seem like a viable option.
There’s no denying that the Great Resignation has created immense challenges for employers. For most, the situation is a net negative and something they hope will quickly pass. At the same time, great companies always look for opportunities in any challenge. In the case of the Great Resignation, the opportunity is present in the growth and development opportunities of remaining staff.
Lin Grensing-Pophal is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.