From Migration to Acquisition: Tips For Your Talent Strategy

Perhaps you have heard the industry news that businesses are experiencing a Great Resignation. The short story is that the pandemic caused a lot of people to decide that they have simply had it with their current company. Most articles you will find on this topic are dire and fearful. That’s not really our style. We thought we would take this opportunity to share our perspective—it is our blog after all. 😉

Just like competition is good for a healthy economy, employee migration is good for the evolution of workplace wellness. As we mentioned in our blog last week, the employment industry is long overdue for innovation. This is what caused this migration. For decades, employees have waited for companies to improve or deliver on promises of a better future. The pandemic illuminated for many employees that their company simply wasn’t going to get the job done. It also exposed employees’ necessity for a workplace that supports them as whole people with complex and dynamic needs.

Right now, companies are either experiencing a resignation, an acquisition, or worse yet, nothing. If you are experiencing a migration, here is the upside (it’s not that you’re purging lazy, needy people) it provides you with explicit data for your leadership on the urgency for evolved people practices and policies. Many of you have been begging for this kind of change for some time. You have been the voice of the people and perhaps it’s fallen on deaf ears. If this explicit migration data causes your leadership to be glad to purge lazy, needy people, then perhaps you too should join the migration. Your talent will gladly be accepted in other places. In fact, there may even be several businesses grappling with this migration and desperate for someone with your exact expertise.

If you are experiencing an acquisition of talent, kudos! You have likely been working successfully at employee wellness for years and your efforts are paying off. Be sure to make the connection between your efforts and these acquisitions for your senior leadership team! Also, know that people see hope in their experience with your company. A lot of companies have become really good at branding the idea of healthy employment, while sometimes failing on the execution. Be sure you are prepared to execute what you promised in these interviews.

If you are reading this blog and wondering “what migration?” it’s possible that you are sitting in the worst-case scenario. Your employees may be disengaged, content to clock in and out, keep their heads down, and bide their time till retirement. This is the death knell not only of innovation but also of your company. It’s time to bring things back to life.

The last case scenario is that you are not experiencing a migration, the company and your employees are thriving, but you also haven’t acquired any talent. The employment marketplace is ripe with talent right now. Not just talented people, but people who are eager for a workplace who will appreciate their skill and give them a place to apply it in a meaningful way.

WELCOA recently hired someone with this exact experience. This person saw an opportunity to improve a process and invested their skill set into it. We had the opportunity to praise that effort, the individual explained their gladness to hear it wasn’t an overstep. In their previous workplace, these efforts were often a source of aggravation. Facing this frustration, this employee began to coach themselves internally to stop trying so hard and to be content with the way things were.

We are so grateful to have this person on our team to make us better and to make your Membership better. We are also glad to provide a place where talent thrives rather than going to die. We have heard countless stories of employees who coach themselves into being content with the status quo and quieting their motivation for innovation and meaningful improvement. Workplace well-being is about more than physical health. As evidenced by our definition of wellness, well-being for employees is also about experiencing meaning and growth in your work. No healthy business wants employees coaching themselves to try less hard.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR Maggie Gough // Director of Member Experience • WELCOA

Serving a variety of populations in a multitude of industries, Maggie understands the complexity and depth of the corporate wellness industry and the needs of the professionals and employees they support. Her role at WELCOA is to ensure members receive stellar service and build sustaining connections as a community.