Association leaders, like professionals across many industries, are struggling with the effects of the Great Resignation. In the newly released research report, What Workers Want: The State of Work and Career Success 2022, Connie Steele and her colleagues uncovered findings that can help association executives handle the Great Resignation and reduce turnover on their teams. 

We asked Connie Steele to share insights from her research with us. Here’s what she said:

Question: What are the main findings of the report and which learning do you think is the most important for leaders in trade and professional associations? 

When associations invest in the careers of their employees, the result is happier and more engaged people that deliver stronger results. To facilitate career progression and fulfillment, the report finds that leaders should focus their efforts on career planning which includes identifying the network of people to help their employees achieve their goals.  

Question: What specific actions should association leaders take to reduce turnover in the wake of the Great Resignation? 

In this video, Connie Steele explains how association leaders can reduce turnover in the wake of the Great Resignation by:

• Diving into your culture to understand  why there is a disconnect in what employees want
• Doing a gap analysis so you have the foundational contextof where there is misalignment
• Aligning association goals to employee goals and their ideas of success
• Creating mutual solutions that work for the company and the employee 

Question: How can leaders set up better success plans for their associations that truly support employees?

In this video, Connie offers great advice on how to test, learn and iterate better success plans that truly support employees. By remaining flexible and being open to new ways of working, association leaders can design programs that empower every employee to reach their potential.

Question: How should association executives who are trying to attract the next generation of leaders set themselves up for long-term success?

Connie Steele states that understanding long-term success starts with understanding and investing in your potential talent. In their future roles, the next generation wants an association that will:

• Empower them to build a depth and breadth of skills
• Invest in their career growth
• Enable employees to be their whole selves
• Reflect a mutual value between the association and their workers 

You can get more insights on this topic in the full research report: What Workers Want: The State of Work and Career Success 2022.

And to get more advice on combating the Great Resignation by building stronger, more inclusive association cultures, check out this on-demand resource.