The day after paying the annual bonus is traditionally the moment of truth. HR employees’ desks receive statements from those who have been planning a change for some time. If we have contact with our teams, something has already reached us. But this time we may be surprised.

In the West, they already called it “The Big Quit” or “Great Resignation.” People quit their jobs because they feel it’s not worth it… The pandemic has plowed through our priorities. We ask ourselves other questions. Not “Which rung of the ladder do I see in five years?” But “What for? Is it worth the climb? As a human being, what is the cost of this struggle? “

And probably no-one believes that the situation will be resolved by a raise. An interesting study on this topic is in the TinyPulse report “Employee Engagement Report 2020. Covid-19 edition,” in which researchers ask respondents every year if they would change their job in exchange for a 10% raise. For five years, the number of employees that would not succumb to temptation has been increasing, and in 2019 it increased significantly. This confirms the intuitive hypothesis that employee loyalty is less and less related to monetary remuneration.

But if not money then what? TinyPuls researchers cite data collected in 2018, in which employees who accepted an offer to change jobs and a 10% raise, indicated the culture of the company they went to as the most important reason for their decision. So, as traditionally “culture eats strategy for breakfast” – it is now accelerated.

Values ​​are at the heart of culture. If the day-to-day activities and mindset of the team do not reflect them, it will be hard for you to build a culture that has real power. What is worth doing?

First of all – check that your values ​​are up-to-date. Review your list. Perhaps it is worth getting rid of those part that have not been important for employees for a long time. Or maybe something else had taken effect.

Second, actively communicate and reflect values ​​in your daily work and encourage your employees to do so. Refer to them, reward for their implementation. And set an example.

Third – build a sense of community around values. A good team is a well-coordinated group of employees, often representing various departments. It is a group that can get along easily with each other, where trust and mutual respect reign. For this to happen, employees must feel connected. Active cultivation of values ​​is its foundation.

Fourth – and this is an option for ambitious people – encourage employees to personally reflect on the values ​​and incorporate them into their daily work experience. You can do this by interviewing employees by providing the right materials. We, as the Coacherto team, recommend the involvement of a coach who will help you carry out this process professionally.

Easy to say, harder to do? Not necessarily. If we are clear about the values ​​that are truly authentic to our organization – their implementation does not require huge investments at all. Including them in communication, in reward systems, in activities supporting commitment, in coaching work. Referring to them in conversations. In most organizations, this is enough. There is one condition – authenticity and sincere commitment of the leaders. If this is not there .. better then to just offer a pay raise …