4 Steps Nonprofits Should Take To Help Navigate The Great Reshuffle

The Great Reshuffle sounds like a worrisome concept. For nonprofits, it could prove to be beneficial.

The pandemic has opened people’s eyes to new opportunities and nonprofits can take advantage of shifting perspectives. As employees across industries embrace new ways to work, and gain the upper hand as businesses struggle to recover in the midst of a nearly two-year pandemic, industries have suffered a labor shortage. What LinkedIn is calling The Great Reshuffle, is a moment in the talent market where everyone is rethinking everything, from business models to talent needs. With over 40% of workers considering leaving their jobs in the next year, organizations need to adapt to minimize the damage the current labor shortage has caused.

As corporations stress about the loss of employees, nonprofit organizations can find ways to benefit from this employee flight. Not only do they have the chance to gain high-quality candidates looking for meaningful work, but they can take better steps to hold onto and gain people who are motivated and purpose-driven. Here are four steps nonprofits can take to benefit from the Great Reshuffle:

1. Change your hiring criteria

A majority of Great Reshuffle candidates will have minimal nonprofit experience, if any, and may lack the hard skills the position requires. Hard skills can be taught, so give candidates as many opportunities to prove their commitment to your nonprofit’s mission as possible. Measure them based on soft skills and traits that will make them productive members of your team. Look for excellent listening and social skills, a passion for your cause, and a dedication to success. If a candidate demonstrates these characteristics (and more), nonprofits should chomp at the bit to add them to their team.

2. Offer flexibility, kindness, and support

Flexibility is a primary concern for workers, so offering work-life balance and flexibility will attract Great Reshuffle candidates to join your team. If you offer a meaningful work experience along with the benefit of a work-life balance, many young workers and other candidates will want to join your organization.

Flexibility comes with the option to work remotely, and offering part-time and freelance workers. With advancements in technology, a lot of roles within a nonprofit don’t require in-office hours to get the job done. Freelance is a growing industry, and freelancers will jump at the opportunity to develop their skills and work with organizations that align with their mission.

Being flexible, accommodating, and supportive provides an attractive work environment and keeps your current and potential employees engaged. Nonprofits not willing to accommodate remote, freelance, and part-time employees will have a hard time filling open positions. Both freelancers and part-time staff should be a part of your nonprofit’s team, so target the right people, analyze their concerns, and benefit from the Great Reshuffle.

3. Focus on communication

Effective communication should already be at the root of every nonprofit’s operations and efforts, but in the time of the Great Reshuffle, the need for communicating with your current and potential employees is greater than ever.

Nonprofit leaders should use this opportunity to strengthen their communication skills and learn how to better support their team so they can continue driving your mission forward. This will not only clear your employees’ path to success (and avoid the workplace dynamics that led to the Great Reshuffle in the first place), but attract new people to join your nonprofit. Empower your team, and give them the resources needed to grow with your organization, so they can share that with their network of like-minded people.

4. Ease worker’s transitions

A highly skilled worker who has left a corporate job in favor of one in the nonprofit sector will most likely have expectations for the way a workplace operates in order to be successful. They’ll look for nonprofits with a clearly-defined organizational structure and a supportive workplace culture that values hard work and opportunities for advancement.

Workers want to be excited about going to work each morning, especially if they are transitioning into a new role and company. A lot of Great Reshuffle workers are leaving service industry roles, so successful nonprofits should create a transparently mission-driven and structurally cohesive experience for these workers to join.

The Great Reshuffle shows that long-term success can be attributed to hiring and retaining the best people possible. Flexibility, meaningful work, and communication are just a few expectations workers are looking for in their new jobs in the midst of the Great Reshuffle. Nonprofits can offer these and can find highly skilled workers to add to their teams so they can continue driving for change.

Take your nonprofit to the next level and develop your team, your organization, and your own skills with these LinkedIn’s free nonprofit resources.