Your workplace culture is a powerful ecosystem. It’s the heart and lifeblood of your people…
At the end of 2020, we asked hundreds of CEOs, HR and comms people what they needed over the next 100 days. Here's what they had to say about Q1...
In the second part of our Next 100 Days series (check out the first instalment here), we look at the crucial weeks between January and March 2021. Want to meet people’s needs and expectations? Then make sure you focus on these three key areas:
Re-energising your people as individuals
Re-engaging your entire workforce
Re-establishing the connection between the individual and the company.
Re-energise
Health & Wellbeing
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, 53% of employees say they feel more emotionally exhausted. This is the time to build psychological safety [Link to psych click through] and resilience. Focus on longer programmes that show people you’re providing ongoing support. Look at creating a team of Mental Health First Aiders and developing more opportunities for inclusion.
Re-engage
Culture
Companies with a strong culture see 4x increase in revenue growth. And for most organisations, connection is a big part of that culture. Work on creating more opportunities for people to collaborate across teams and skill sets. Focus groups are a great starting point.
Purpose & Values
According to Deloitte, purpose-driven companies have higher productivity and growth rates. Maintaining employees’ connection with the company purpose and values is essential. Make sure these are woven into every communication.
Direction
With so much uncertainty in the world, employees want to know where your organisation is heading, and the role they play. Bring your strategy to life by making it as creative as possible – push the brand to wake people up and get them back on board.
Re-establish
Listening
The loss of traditional Town Halls, water-cooler catch-ups and in-person meetings can leave people feeling unheard. Focus on creating meaningful opportunities to listen, engage and act. And be aware of who isn’t talking – ‘Zoom fatigue’ has become a hot topic recently – sometimes a phone call can work just as well.
Comms
90% of people say they want updates at least once a week from their company. Segment the different job roles and check in with each to make sure they’re getting the right information in the right way and at the right time. Are any additional channels needed?
Make it happen
With so many priorities, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Keep things simple with these three tips:
- Look for overlap: Where could your comms priorities cross over with your wellbeing priorities? Or your new listening tools align with your purpose? Make those sweet spots your top priority.
- Use feelings to persuade leaders: In 2021, leaders are looking to understand the link between how employees feel and productivity. Try using this Mental Health Scale to take the temperature of your colleagues.
- Find collaboration opportunities: Create multiple cross-skilled focus groups to gather ideas and fuel your culture.
Need some clarity?
Get in touch with Lucy McKerron for all the latest research, insight and fresh thinking.
