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58 www.canadianlawyermag.com FEATURE EMPLOYEE RETENTION More than a fifth of all professionals have changed jobs in the last year, so employers need to learn what they can do to ensure workers are fulfilled and want to stick around, says Rowena Millward THE GREAT RESIGNATION was one of the biggest after-shocks of COVID-19. While during the early days of COVID-19 employees were grateful to keep their jobs, in the post-pandemic era the market has seen massive growth in resignations. ABS statistics show that in the year ending February 2022, 9.5 percent of employed people changed jobs. Among professionals, the proportion was as high as 22 percent, despite the overall market retrenchment rate of 1.5 percent being the lowest on record. It seems contradictory that at a time of great change and job insecurity, more people than ever are resigning. So, what's behind this trend? What are people really looking for? Lockdown created a mindset shift – at scale One of the biggest mindset shifts during COVID-19 came from the disruption of our pre-pandemic lives. Between juggling work, families, inevitable curveballs, and everyday life, there was little time to stop and consider what we actually wanted. Lockdown led to people asking questions such as, "Am I satisfied with my life choices? Do I have the right balance for me across work, family, and life? Is this what I really want?" Motivating staff to stay on board