The Great Attrition? It's More Like The Great Alienation

We read a lot these days about The Great Attrition or The Great Resignation, an economic trend which, we are told, has led to a serious labour shortage and is making it difficult for businesses to find and hire employees. I think McKinsey may have used the term Attrition, while The Great Resignation was coined by Anthony Klotz, a management professor at University College London.

But these names are somewhat misleading: they are too focussed on the visible effects (especially as they affect employers) rather than on the cause. To be absolutely fair to Klotz, he understands this very well …

The Great Resignation ended up being a pretty good prediction, but I also think talking about quitting is taboo and that taboo benefits organizations. So it has helped to surface this conversation that a lot of employees are not doing well right now—and they want to talk about it.

By chance, I read some of Klotz’s writing on this topic yesterday and then today, while restoring some pdf files, I re-read the rather famous speech, Alienation by the Scottish Trade Union Leader Jimmy Reid which he gave at the University of Glasgow in 1971.

Defining Alienation

The concept of alienation isn’t new of course. Reid was (at the time of his speech) a Communist, so he drew on Marx’s definition of four kinds of Alienation:

• Alienation from the product of labor: Workers do not feel a sense of ownership or accomplishment from the products they produce. Instead, they see their products as commodities that are owned by someone else.

• Alienation from the process of labor: Workers do not have control over their work. They are simply cogs in a machine, following orders and performing repetitive tasks.

• Alienation from others: Workers do not have meaningful relationships with their coworkers. They are isolated from each other and from the community.

• Alienation from self: Workers do not feel a sense of self-worth. They see themselves as objects, rather than as active subjects.

You may think you hate everything Karl Marx stands for; I can’t honestly blame you, especially my friends who grew up in Communist nations. But if this analysis of alienation from 1844 does not sound familiar to you in 2023, then you haven’t been keeping up with the news, or perhaps not listening to your colleagues.

The speech Alienation encapsulates these feeling, warning against the rat race mentality where employees are seen as mere units of production or numbers in accounts. This perspective results in a workplace environment that undervalues human spirit and dignity, leading individuals to feel dehumanized, expendable, and, ultimately, alienated.

In the event, Jimmy Reid doesn’t quote Marx, but he does quote the Bible and Lincoln, Robert Burns and Catch-22.

Reject these attitudes. Reject the values and false morality that underlie these attitudes. A rat race is for rats. We’re not rats. We’re human beings. Reject the insidious pressures in society that would blunt your critical faculties to all that is happening around you, that would caution silence in the face of injustice lest you jeopardise your chances of promotion and self-advancement. This is how it starts and before you know where you are, you’re a fully paid-up member of the rat-pack. The price is too high. It entails the loss of your dignity and human spirit. Or as Christ put it, What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul?

This warning isn’t to be taken lightly. An alienated workforce is less productive, less creative, and more likely to leave employment altogether. However, alienation looks different to different people. Even rats (I have had several delightful pet rats) have personalities and peculiarities that you have to learn to live with and work with.

With this in mind, I did some work recently with a client - who counts over 25,000 US employees - analyzing exit interviews of people resigning and interview notes from recruiters. The purpose of the exercise was to try out some new text analysis techniques in HR, especially while preserving privacy. But the results were fascinating in themselves and very relevant to my thinking about alienation.

Re-signing the Resigned

There has been a ton of research on the causes of the recent changes in the labour market and attitudes to it. In our analysis, we were focussed on identifying strategies to attract people back. To do so, we identified four broad categories of people who may be tempted back, if employers can meet their needs. Here’s a necessarily brief sketch of these categories.

Stability Seekers

Stability Seekers crave consistency and predictability. They value a well-structured work environment and clear expectations. However, they may feel alienated in workplaces that are overly chaotic, lack clear direction, or are subject to frequent disruptions and changes. Stability Seekers might relate to the sense of being considered expendable as Jimmy Reid put it, especially if they perceive their role as insecure with the threat of being expended always hanging over them. They may find more security in resignation than in uncertain work, even if on a reduced income.

Autonomous Innovators

Autonomous Innovators thrive on independence and the freedom to be creative. They are self-starters who enjoy tackling challenges. Their alienation may stem from micromanagement, rigid procedures, or lack of opportunities to express their creativity. When denied the opportunity to innovate and contribute meaningfully, these people may feel they are merely feeding into a machine that prioritizes profit over purpose. They want to work for the benefit of social need, not personal greed.

Compassionate Caretakers

Compassionate Caretakers are empathetic, team-oriented individuals who thrive on interpersonal connections. Alienation for them can come from cold, impersonal work environments, or those that don't encourage teamwork and camaraderie. They feel akin to units of production when their interpersonal skills and nurturing instincts are not valued or engaged.

Purposeful Pioneers

Purposeful Pioneers are driven by an underlying mission or purpose. They seek more than a paycheck from their work; they want to feel they are contributing to a greater cause. Alienation for them occurs in workplaces that lack a clear and compelling mission, or where the mission does not align with their personal values.

Recognizing these personas and their unique responses to alienation is the first step in hiring them back. However, understanding alone is not enough. To retain talent and combat the Great Alienation, it's crucial to engage with these personas and address their specific needs and aspirations.

Strategies for hiring back

From Stability Seekers to Purposeful Pioneers, understanding how different personas react to alienation provides valuable insights into their unique needs and aspirations. Rereading Jimmy Reid’s speech drove home to me the point that ignoring these varied perspectives in our workplace culture can lead to disengagement, lack of fulfillment, and ultimately attrition.

So how can we make workplaces that engage rather than alienate workers. I am going to suggest four first steps here. Each step is rather obviously targeted at one of the groups. But my point is that if you can identify the right potential hires and ensure that your business meets their needs - not just treating them as a unit of production - then you can most likely start to effectively hire people back.

1. Create Clear and Consistent Structures: Ensure all employees, especially Stability Seekers, understand their role, responsibilities, and the broader organizational structure.

2. Encourage Innovation and Autonomy: Consciously develop a culture that values creativity and independence. Autonomous Innovators need space to flourish.

3. Build Empathy and Teamwork: Make sure your workplace not only enables, but encourages, connection and cooperation. Compassionate Caretakers thrive in such environments.

4. Define and Promote Your Mission: Purposeful Pioneers want to contribute to something bigger than themselves. Make sure your organization's mission is clear, compelling, and consistently communicated.

The Great Attrition? It really is more like the Great Alienation. It's high time we address this by re-envisioning our workplaces to meet the diverse needs of all our employees. This is a mission that's not just worth undertaking, but essential to the long-term success and resilience of our organizations.

As Jimmy Reid pointedly told us 50 years ago:

The flowering of each individual's personality and talents is the precondition for everyone's development.

Putting this into action, recognizing and nurturing the qualities of our colleagues is perhaps the only way to create workplaces where everyone can thrive.