“How do I drive culture and engagement when no one is in the office?” Everywhere we go this is the number one challenge keeping Leaders up at night right now. Everyone is looking for an answer, some kind of solution…. A silver bullet. Realistically there is no quick fix – there are numerous areas Leaders can – and should – focus attention to address this but they must be proactive and take a long term approach. Here are some core areas to focus on today:
Seek feedback from your employees!
Many employers have tried to incentivise employees to return to the office by offering free coffees, team lunches etc. but for many this isn’t what matters. What most have neglected to do is to actually ask people what they value about being in the office – what makes them want to go to the ‘effort’ of coming in, along with what might make it challenging so that they can address needs with flexibility and drive programs that are really going to be attractive to their teams.
Make being in the office meaningful
There is no doubt that there is benefit to being in the same space when working – at least some of the time. Collaboration fuels innovation, problem solving and healthy communication. Learning and development also happens much more effectively in person – mentoring or coaching is so much more powerful and formal programs can be supported by informal interactions when people are together in person. Leaders need to ensure opportunities for collaboration, innovation and personal development are plentiful and accessible – high performers in particular will gravitate towards these resulting in increased performance and productivity.
Ensure employees are taking adequate breaks
Burnout is rife amongst the workforce right now. Life is busy, everyone is stressed with cost of living pressures and the challenge of balancing family and work obligations. During COVID many people did not take adequate annual leave – we couldn’t go away on holiday so we just kept working. Some employees rectified this with long breaks over this last Christmas but many employees are still not taking adequate leave and are suffering because of it. Leaders need to be aware of their employees leave entitlements and have open conversations with them – encouraging appropriate amounts of time away from work, even if staying at home, to ensure they are truly switching off and recharging batteries.
Build community
Human beings are social creatures by nature. Most of us need companionship – it is critical to our mental health and wellbeing and for most of us our energy levels rise, work improves and stress declines when we are around people that care about us and take an interest in our lives. Early on during the pandemic many businesses worked hard to promote connection and community online with fun events and opportunities to get together ‘virtually’. Some attempts were made at replicating this back in the office when we embarked on a hybrid work model but it appears that this needs more focus and lateral thinking – as well as the aforementioned feedback from team members.
Ensure you have the right people
At the core of all of this is ensuring that you have the people in your business that share your values and are committed to the business and being part of driving culture and engagement. This needs to start with Leaders walking the talk – setting expectations and leading by example. Clearly communicating expectations and opportunities to be gained from being in the office is critical to a Leaders skillset today – as is holding their team members (and themselves) accountable for following through on commitments. Some attrition is going to be a natural consequence of this journey in many instances – but while this can be painful and costly you must ask yourself what you would rather: lose a few team members who are not engaged and willing to contribute positively to the culture of the business or keep them and risk the toxicity that disengaged employees can spread, adding further pain down the track.
While there is no quick and easy solution, none of this is complicated – it takes sustained attention, effort and a willingness at all levels of the business to contribute to its success.
Talk to us about some of the ways we are supporting our clients right now to drive culture and engagement in today’s hybrid environment.
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