The world of business and workplaces continues to change, and no one knows that better than Dan Schawbel, Managing Partner of Workplace Intelligence, along with being a New York Times bestselling author and host of the 5 Questions podcast. Dustin Oldham, host of Change Starts Here, spoke with Schawbel about workplace challenges in schools, such as staff retention and what to do about it.

A self-described “advisor and a champion” of workers, Schawbel has worked with many businesses and loves the idea of branding, which works for anyone with a mind to create any kind of business, company, or organization. “The reason why everyone needs to care about branding, whether it’s a company brand, personal brand, product brand, is because it is a huge competitive advantage,” said Schawbel. “Because…the companies that are most likely to hold on and maintain are the ones that have built trust in the form of a brand.”

On the subject of teacher retention in schools, Schawbel pointed out that, in the last few years, teachers have had to deal with burnout, low pay, and delayed retirement in. “The value proposition of being a teacher…is diminishing,” said Schawbel, which means that the “talent pipeline” is diminishing (which also affects the medical field, especially with nurses). This also helps explain why younger generations are less and less interested in becoming teachers.

On top of changing conditions, Schawbel says employers need to listen to their employees. “Figure out what they want, figure out what their struggles are, and try and resolve as many as you can the best you can.” He added, “We have a lack of listening in corporate culture and school culture and I do think that there is not going to be a way around of not paying enough anymore.”

Key Points:

-Schools can retain staff by listening and solving their struggles.

-Talent pool for teachers is low because they demand more from schools.

-Things can only change if conditions and payment are improved for teachers.