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With an overload of conversation around the changing nature of work, it can be helpful to distill and understand how these changes will impact the work of HR in their work of attracting, engaging and retaining employees. Here are five ways your company culture is changing as a result of the transformation facing the world of work:
1. Going Global
As organizations seek to attract and engage employees across the world, leaders must understand a growing number of cultural perspectives, employment regulations, and best practices.
2. Multigenerational Workforce
For the first time in the history of the modern workforce, five generations are working side-by-side toward shared goals. This shift in generational makeup of the workforce is changing expectations on HR as Generation X and Millennial employees are demanding more flexibility and meaningful work.
3. Flexibility
Along with increased demand for flexible schedules, employee expectations are also fluctuating. Work to understand the needs of your employees to continue to attract and engage top talent and to meet the needs of a changing workforce as we step boldly into the future.
4. Virtual Employees
Forrester Research estimates 43 percent of the workforce works remotely at least some of the time. There is some evidence to show that remote workers are happier, feel more valued, and feel more productive.
5. Explosion of Technology
There’s no question technology is changing the world of work. As technology impacts every part of the way we work, automating some functions of work and supporting employee productivity, the importance of face-to-face and meaningful written communication remains a critical part of team building.
Maritz offers a booklet to more deeply cover these points...“HR Leader’s Guide to the Future of Work.”
Most new managers quickly see things they’d like to change. New leaders are advised to take some time to listen and appreciate what is, rather than make their own mark at the risk of appearing self-centered or authoritarian. But what should you do when the need for change is profound and urgent? How can you minimize resistance while honoring your fundamental duty?
There’s a difference between addressing bad behavior and changing bad norms. The first requires confronting the inappropriate meanderings of one or two individuals. The second is about resetting the norms of an entire group. Here are some suggestions for new managers who see the need for quick and fundamental change.
Is it me or is it them? First, get feedback from trusted sources to ensure your concerns are a matter of principle not of taste.
Establish air cover. The big problem with bad norms is you don’t know how high and wide the acceptance runs. If, for example, your peer managers in this new location give tacit approval to personal indulgences during work hours, it’s much harder to establish new norms. It’ll be even harder if those above you have enabled the behavior. If that is the case, then you’ll need to have a conversation with peer managers and your boss before addressing your work group. Your goal in these conversations is to establish common cause — or at least active consent — with them. Don’t push faster than they’re willing to go. Let the data do the talking, and let them come to conclusions with you about what to do.
Make it public. Next, start a public dialogue in your group about the concerns. Bad norms are sustained by silence; no one discusses misbehavior when everyone is guilty. Then let the feedback marinade briefly. Don’t let it sit too long, or you’ll allow time for opposition to organize. Make reference to your alignment with those above and beside you, but only sparingly. If you overdo it, you look weak. If you under do it, you look vulnerable.
Focus on the future. So long as the issues don’t cross legal or HR lines, let the group know bygones are bygones. The past is irrelevant; the future is all that matters. But put them on notice that change must be immediate.
Watch for transgressions and prosecute calmly but decisively.
Don’t neglect accomplices. Confront those who were aware of the infraction but said nothing. You need to communicate not only your desire for new behavior but also your expectation that others will join you in encouraging the agreed-upon values.
Stick to these principles and you’ll be able to lead through the change. Stick to your guns. It’s why you were selected to lead in the first place.
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Organizations are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on employee engagement programs, yet their scores on engagement surveys remain abysmally low. How is that possible?
When organizations make real gains, it’s because they’re thinking longer-term. They’re redesigning employee experience, creating a place where people want, not just need, to work each day. But what does that mean, and what does it look like?
After analyzing more than 250 diverse organizations, drawing on the Fortune 100 and various “best workplaces” lists, I found that over half the companies were rated poorly by their employees in at least one area, and 20% got very low scores across the board. Just 6% were investing heavily in all three important areas. Those three important areas are: cultural, technological, physical.
When I interviewed business leaders at the top-scoring organizations, they told me their investments in the three employee experience environments had led not only to happier employees but also to larger talent pipelines and greater profitability and productivity.
Looking at the data, it’s clear that there is a significant return to organizations that focus on employee experience over the long term, not just engagement in the here and now.
Your organization might want to take a different approach altogether. The important thing is to shift your attention away from those fickle engagement numbers and focus on how people experience your organization day by day. This means moving away from putting people into outdated workplaces, and redesigning workplaces and practices around your employees.
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