News & Events

Are You Ready for the ‘Turnover Tsunami’?

July 27, 2021
UBC MEL & MHLP - Employer Hiring Transition Preparations

With Canada recently crossing the 50% mark of the population being fully vaccinated, a slow shift back to office for most industries is currently underway. While that potentially brings with it the many benefits that arise from in-person collaboration, there’s also concern over what human resources experts are calling the “turnover tsunami.”

This is best described as the potential significant increase in voluntary job-leaving expected to occur as employees resume job searches they put off for the past year.

Why Employees May Be Looking for a New Job

This economic uncertainty due to the pandemic led many people to stay in their positions thankful to have a job. Yet it was also a time when many people identified issues in their current positions, sparking a desire to look for new employment opportunities.

  • Burnout. Burned out employees may view leaving their current position as the best option. As the economy improves, some employees may feel they have no other choice but to seek out opportunities that promise them a better chance at a work-life balance.k out opportunities that promise them a better chance at a work-life balance.
  • Choice. The pandemic shifted the norms of working – to the delight of many employees. If their current employers require them to return to the workplace, employees may seek out new opportunities to access flexible work schedules, hybrid work environments and other workplace benefits.
  • Career Growth. Many employees have been in a state of stasis, focusing only on their current job requirements and not necessarily on career growth opportunities. Some employees may feel that the easiest way to grow their career is to move to a new job, rather than trying to advance within their existing organization.

Is Your Recruitment Strategy Ready?

Whether or not your organization sees high employee turnover in the short term, as we enter into an employee-led job market, organizations need to take a more holistic and integrated approach to recruiting that goes beyond simply posting job openings.

A strong recruitment marketing strategy should focus on raising an organization’s brand awareness by engaging with potential applicants at all potential touchpoints, including website and LinkedIn page, job boards, industry panels, and online and in-person career fairs and information sessions.

Effective recruitment strategies bring more (qualified) candidates to the organization and enable it to move candidates through the hiring process more quickly.

Add Value to Your Recruitment Marketing Strategy with our Employer Engagement Opportunities

The Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) Employer Engagement Opportunities are a fantastic way for you to add value to your recruitment marketing strategy.

These include raising awareness of your organization and connecting with our MEL students through exclusive guest speaker opportunities and organizational information sessions. You can also post job opportunities with our alumni network to access experienced professionals with exceptional technical, interpersonal and leadership skills.

The current MEL cohort will be completing their studies in December, making this a great time to begin raising awareness of your organization and launching your recruitment efforts to attract and acquire the talented people you need on your teams.

Learn more about how to promote your organization and post job opportunities with our Employer Engagement Opportunities.