Not as many employees leaving jobs as thought

“Create this openness, this transparency as well, because, sometimes, some leaders, we have bad days as well. And sometimes the way that we can interact… will be a little bit more rough on some employees, and that could have a huge impact on them.”

But what about those workers who are left behind, often while working remotely, after seeing many colleagues depart, what should be done about them?

“A lot of people told me ‘What I used to love about my work was the human connection; I used to love my work buddies; we would do lunches, we would go see clients, and all that really fun stuff is gone and all I’m left with is the technical grind. I’ve lost the human connection,’” said Erica Pimentel, assistant professor at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. “A lot of people felt left behind when they moved online.”

With this abandonment taking place, at least in the minds of these workers, some also have taken the opportunity to pursue other avenues of fulfillment, she said. “If you’re a top talent… if you are someone with experience, with a qualification, the market is yours.”

In order to manage this and prevent a mass leaving, leveraging or creating a strong culture is often a good first step, according to Pimentel.