WFH? Do this one thing to retain your employees and avoid the Great Resignation

Bob Whitesel April 7, 2022

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Today we are in the midst of a so-called Great Resignation. More than anytime in recent history, people are leaving their positions and seeking jobs elsewhere. The advantage during this time falls to the employee, who now has an opportunity to choose a job she or he likes better. But why are so many people leaving?

Part of the problem lies in their desire to be more flexible in their work/life balance, which often includes working from home. No longer needing to commute or be away in the office, they're now able to be in the more comfortable environment of their homes. And many employers are finding employees are almost as effective when working from home (often abbreviated WFH).

I say almost as effective, because many employers have found that there is slightly less effectiveness when an employee works from home.

Three reasons WFH is slightly less effective:

First, people who work from home have distractions, such as family members, pets, household duties, media opportunities, etc. Because of this employers are tempted to encourage employees to come back to the office.

Second, employers like face-to-face relationships with their employees. Even when working from home, employers often want to invite the employee back to the office for special face-to-face meetings. This can be especially troublesome for people who live far away or even across the continent. But employers often justify this by talking about the importance of face-to-face relationships. Again there's some truth to this.

Third, there's less oversight. The employee who is working from home does not have as much oversight from their employer. They might be doing things the employer thinks is not a good use of their time.

For each of these three reasons, the employer will usually encourage the person to come back to work, at least part time. And while this seems to address the above three quandaries of the employer, it still leads to the main reason people leave.

The power of non-monetary compensation

Here's the main reason people are leaving today. It's because employers aren't giving them enough compensation that is non-monetary. Non-monetary compensation includes these three aspects:

1. Non-monetary compensation includes allowing a person to work in an environment in which they feel most comfortable.

We've all seen how people make their office more homey by decorating their offices with pictures from home and decor in their personal style. Why are they doing this? Because they want to work in a familiar and comfortable environment.

And what is more homey or comfortable than a person's home? Jesus taught his most important lessons, not just in the customary religious environment of a synagogue, but mostly over meals (e.g. his last supper, Luke 24:31) and in homes (Luke records eleven invitations Jesus received to enter homes and teach, and he accepted every one). Jesus told his disciples to enter people's homes to discuss spiritual matters (Luke 10:5). And he explained that his followers should not to be troubled, but to look forward to "my Father's house" (Luke 14:1-2, John 14:2). In all of these passages a religious zealot, such as a Pharisee, might be tempted to limit their teachings to the synagogue setting or with Temple metaphors. But Jesus chose the place of family, friends and respite, a home for dialogue and analogies that resonated with his listeners.

Today, effective employers will recognize they can compensate employees in non-monetary ways by allowing them to work from a comfortable space where they can undertake the arduous work hours. Being in a more comfortable space is one of the most important things for productivity. Therefore, employers who observe workers decorating their offices to make them more homey and personalized should begin a discussion with the employee to ascertain if they would rather work from home.

2. Employers usually like face-to-face encounters more than employees like it.

When you have an oversight role, it is uncomfortable for someone you oversee to be face-to-face with you. That's because they don't know when the friendly talk might morph into a more uncomfortable direction. When an employee is called into the employer's office in person they are brought into an environment that is uncomfortable because of subtle power dynamics.

The employer usually has decorated their office with symbols of status, such as awards, plaques, books and trophies. Also, there will be power furnishings such as large chairs, a large desk and even a large room. The feeling the worker gets is one of intimidation.

Customarily the employer is not doing this because they want it to intimidate the employee. They are doing it because that's what they've seen bosses do. Furniture stores and magazines are always selling the look of power furnishings. But the face-to-face encounter in this environment becomes stressful for the employee.

On a smallish video screen the employer's power furnishings do not intimidate as significantly. In addition, when the employer conducts meetings from his or her home via video conferencing, there is less of a power dynamic. Also, a video screen is usually focused on the person's face and creates more of a literal face-to-face relationship.

Jesus focused on ministering to peoples' needs by going to them, not requiring them to come to him. Though Jesus taught in synagogues, (Matthew 9:35-38), he ministered to most of his listeners in fields (Luke 6:1), along roads (Luke 6:17-49), in rural gathering places (Matthew 5:1-12) and at the seashore (Luke 5:1).

And, for an employer it becomes easier to conduct meetings when they're looking at the employee in the midst of the employee's home environment. That's why it's often recommended that an employer go to an employee's office to talk about problems, rather than asking them to come to the boss's office. Asking a worker to come to the employer's office creates pre-encounter stress regarding when such an encounter may occur. That leads us to our final point.

3. Oversight in an office environment is usually too frequent and too annoying for employees.

When an employee works in the same building as the employer, they never know when the employer will drop in. Something even as innocent as having a snack because you have diabetes or taking care of a family emergency can draw the ire of an employer.

When a person receives the non-monetary compensation of working from home, it's their productivity and not their presence that's being evaluated. They are valued on what they accomplish. Accountability should not be physical accountability, but accountability in productivity.

Jesus often sent out his in his disciples without oversight so that they could learn. In one notable example (Matthew 17:14-21) Jesus' disciples were unable to heal a demonized young boy who was brought to the disciples. Jesus was omniscient, and knew beforehand the disciples would be unable to heal the boy. But he let his disciples try on their own anyway. He let them struggle.

Not having the boss to fall back upon is an important learning environment. How many times has an employee been tempted to run to the boss for help with figuring out a problem? But because of the boss's inaccessibility, the employee figures it out on their own. The employee learns a lesson and the boss maximizes their time. Working from home creates for the employee more inaccessibility to the boss. But, in the long run it may help both.

Of course, some scenarios require more accountability: new employees, untrained employees, etc. But for experienced, trusted employees, too much oversight can be uncomfortable and unacceptable.

And, working from home doesn't work for everyone. Sometimes homes can be poor work environments. Other times workers from home can be poor workers. But for many it can work. And because working from home is mostly a late 20th-century phenomenon, most churches and businesses are not yet set up to encourage it.

But, if you will adjust your non-momentary compensation, you may find it is one of the best ways to retain your employees amid the Great Resignation. And for many employees an excellent non-momentary compensation is to work from home.

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Bob Whitesel (D.Min., Ph.D.) is a foresight coach, professor, and award-winning author of 14 books. For over 30 years, he has guided leaders and churches to pivot and engage what’s next. He holds two earned doctorates from Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches on leadership foresight, church health, and organizational change. His website is www.ChurchForesight.com. Learn More »

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