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Even before the pandemic, talent recruitment in the broader textile and apparel industry was a challenge. And the pandemic made it even more challenging. In many areas of the industry, talent is aging out and retiring, and their in-depth skills and knowledge are going with them. At the same time, younger talent often thinks of the industry in outdated terms—more of a factory or even sweatshop environment rather than the clean, modern, high-tech environment it truly is, with lots of opportunities for engagement, learning, and advancement.

The Great Resignation

To add to those challenges, in many regions around the globe, employers in most, if not all, industries are facing what is being called “The Great Resignation.” A stated, &/news2022-02a/8220;According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 million Americans quit their jobs in July 2021. Resignations peaked in April and have remained abnormally high for the last several months, with a record-breaking 10.9 million open jobs at the end of July.&/news2022-02a/8221;

Since that was published, the situation has only worsened. Some older employees have simply chosen to retire earlier. But the Harvard study, which looked at more than 9 million employee records from more than 4,000 companies including employees from a wide variety of industries, functions, and levels of experience, found that employees between 30 and 45 years old have had the greatest increase in resignation rates, with an average increase of more than 20% between 2020 and 2021. Interestingly, resignation rates fell for those in the 60 to 70 age group. Of course, in that group, the number was already high as a percentage of workers, and some may have chosen to work longer because of financial strains caused largely by the pandemic.

One common refrain among those leaving the workforce, especially in that mid-range age group, is a reexamination of quality of life—those who were working from home during the pandemic often did not want to return to the office or preferred a hybrid work strategy where they are only in the office part-time. (Some jobs, of course, require being on-site. Hard to operate equipment if you are working from home!) Other employees decided that they were unhappy in their current position or with their current company and chose to leave to seek a more challenging position, a more comfortable work environment, and a better work/life balance with more flexibility. News stories covering this often opined that the extra income from increased Federal benefits was keeping employees off the job, but once those expired, there was not a “Great Return to Work,” further highlighting the other reasons people were opting out of the workforce.

For employers, this has been difficult, both from the perspective of employee retention—how do we change our work environment to minimize these resignations—and from a recruitment perspective. With all of those people looking for a change, one would think it would be easy to hire. But most companies are not finding that to be the case.

What’s an Employer to Do?

The Harvard Business Review article stresses the importance of “taking a data-driven approach to determining not just how many people are quitting, but who exactly has the highest turnover risk, why people are leaving, and what can be done to prevent it.”

It recommends a fairly common approach to data-driven management, starting with quantifying the scope of the problem and its impact, identifying root causes, and developing tailored retention programs that address those root causes.

One great example of this at work in our industry comes out of China. NCKF, a cut & sew factory owned by parent company PFG, located in Nanchong, Sichuan Province in China, was established with the goal of automating as much as possible, incorporating as many sustainability features as possible, and being a disruptive force in the industry. This is an example of a company that could provide a template for others to follow. In the case of NCKF, the facility was built from the ground up, something that not every company can afford to do. But by understanding what they have done, companies can pick and choose the aspects that they can implement, thus contributing to a better work environment for both attracting and retaining workers.

The company notes in a that at first, the strategy was about increasing efficiency, so that the manufacturing plant would make more money. But soon, NCKF saw the potential of wielding automation to not only aid its operations but to facilitate an increase in worker skills and wages. The automation was designed not to replace workers, but to make them more productive. They also pay their workers above Chinese minimum wage, enabling them to achieve a living wage without long, grueling hours and lots of overtime just to keep their heads above water. Workers can also earn more based on their improved productivity.

Recruiting is a Sales Effort—and so is Retention

It used to be that employees were competing for jobs; but these days, it is more likely the employer who is competing for talent. In terms of attracting new talent, if the candidate looks great and you want to hire them, be sure to spend quality time in the interview process – introducing them to potential co-workers, giving them a tour of the company, and explaining not only the benefits to them of the position for which they are interviewing, but also what the potential career path is. Make it clear what the roles and responsibilities are so there will be no surprises; and sell the value to the potential employee of this position, both for current job enjoyment and a future path. Also be prepared to present a realistic view of the company culture and how you believe the potential employee will fit in. This includes flexibility in the work model, how the company invests in its employees, and how the role under consideration will contribute to the overall goals of the company. This is an important aspect of future retention, an ongoing discussion that should be had with employees. Employees want to be valued and be able to see that their contributions are making a difference.

One Final Thought

Each time a generational shift happens in the workplace, companies need to take into consideration the wants and needs of that generation. This has never been truer than it is now, with the employer/employee relationship turned on its head, and more power in the hands of employees due to the difficulty in finding enough staff many companies face.

There was a lot of conversation when Millennials started coming into the workforce about how to hire and manage this “headstrong” generation. Now Gen Zers are entering the workforce and bringing even more change along with them – some might say a breath of fresh air! The New York Times recently published a . It’s long, but I strongly recommend reading it if you are recruiting Gen Zers—broadly defined as the 72 million people born between 1997 and 2012.

One comment that really stood out to me was this:

These younger generations are cracking the code and they’re like, “Hey guys, turns out we don’t have to do it like these old people tell us we have to do it. We can actually do whatever we want and be just as successful.” And us old people are like, “What is going on?”

One example is a Gen Zer who questioned why she should be required to clock in for an 8-hour day when her to-do list was completed by afternoon. Gen Zers are even assigning action items to senior management! As with Millennials, this requires an adjustment in management style if a company wants to attract and retain the next generation. Keep in mind, again, the power has shifted to the employee, whether they are Gen Zers or older, and evolving management styles and HR practices need to take that into consideration.

For a good discussion on attracting and retaining talent, ��ɫֱ��conducted an informative discussion on the topic as part of its Digital Labs: .

��ɫֱ�� the Author: Cary Sherburne writes for and other publications, and has written several feature articles for AATCC, especially concerning digital printing and new technologies.