Taking the Positives from a Tough Year – Part 1
Can culture, engagement, and productivity flourish when people are not in the same room?
What have organisations, their leaders and managers been doing to maintain and strengthen culture during the time of lockdown, social isolation, and remote work and have these strategies had been effective?
Representatives from 70 organisations from South Africa, the UK, the US, and Germany shared their thoughts on the topic and this is what they had to say…
Leaders and managers have been applying some of the most important principles in creating Employees Centred cultures and they might not even know it.
The initial focus for most was making sure employees could work remotely. After the practicalities were sorted, the main aim was to introduce a deliberate routine of interactions and meetings at regular intervals, making sure that team members stayed connected and felt part of the team. As many were using these electronic communication platforms for the first time it was an exciting change, but as the months passed Zoom fatigue became something that had to be actively managed. One clever strategy included having a designated day each week when no meetings were allowed, which helped employees maintain a sense of control, freeing up time to get other work done or take care of the family. It has become apparent that burnout is on the rise, as employees struggle to maintain healthy boundaries between work and life. This is something to pay close attention too as the year comes to an end.
Besides regular meetings, check-ins and interactions, there was also a drive to share information more regularly – this would include business performance and outlook, important decisions and strategies that were being considered or implemented, or even personal information from members of the leadership team employees would not have regular contact with. Whatever the content was, the aim was to be transparent, sincere, and personal – speaking as people and not “the executive”. Connecting on a personal level, having meaningful conversations, and not jumping straight into work was one of the most effective strategies during this period. The fact that people on all levels of the organisation now had something in common and could share their collective humanity brought them closer together.
Apart from sharing information, a group of leaders also mentioned the importance of constantly repeating the culture, values and goals the collective was aiming towards. Reminding themselves and the employees of what they were aiming towards helped to maintain a sense of prioritization and perspective during this anxiety inducing time.
There were further practical issues to address as the lockdown dragged on – taking care of the physical and mental wellbeing of employees came to the fore; online fitness classes and access to mental health professionals were organised; some even scheduled “forced” personal time during the day to take care of household and family responsibilities during working hours. Some companies also gave financial support to their employees, where they were able to afford it. Providing access to online training for a variety of soft skills has been popular during this time, using lockdown as a period of investment instead of being passive and waiting for it to pass. Regular social events were also scheduled, where colleagues could connect and have some fun – although interestingly, relying only on these interactions did not have the same positive effect.
Many of these strategies were very innovative and unique – but did they work?
In short, yes.
Close to two-thirds of the 70 organisations represented feel that their strategies have been very effective in building and strengthening their culture over the past 7 months. One-third feel that their strategies have only been somewhat effective, while the balance is unsure.
Of those in the “very effective” category, 63% reported an increase in trust among colleagues (compared to 49% in the “somewhat effective” group), 51% have seen an increase in interpersonal connection (compared to 39% only seeing a slight increase), 63% feel that employees are more engaged compared to before lockdown (versus 43%) and 71% have seen growth in productivity (this was stable across both groups).
The effort has paid off, with most of the organisations reporting that their people are in a healthier space than before the pandemic struck – not what the expectation was going into lockdown.
The take-away
Talk to your people. Not all the time, but when it is relevant. And not just about work – talk about things that are important to them. Ask lots of questions. And share some of your personal experience – show your human side. Be honest. Be real. Tell the truth.
When you talk to them, share the purpose, values, and ideals you are aiming towards as a team or organisation. Talk about the type of company you want to be, the impact you want to have, and not just about the things that need to be done.
It pays to get practical. Invest in the physical and mental wellbeing of your people. Encourage them to take care of themselves. When their foundations are sound, they have more capacity to do what needs to be done. Also, invest in training – although the world feels like it’s standing still, we are moving forward and require different skills than we did 12 months ago.
Even though the world has changed, your people can still thrive. But it takes effort. #leadershipisgiving
Want to know more about creating an Employee Centric culture? Get in touch, we would love to help you find your way.
At PurposeWorks we are all about Making You and Your Work Rock. Our focus is on Organisational Health and Design, Employee Centered Culture, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching. For more information on how we can help you create a work environment that rocks, develop a great team, become an inspiring leader or unlock your personal excellence talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
