What Employees Want Next

It’s a new world we’re in. Employee expectations have shifted overnight, we’ve changed the way we work, and new technology, working from home and flexible working is now essential. With so much going on, it’s easy to forget that we’ve always had the potential to work this way, but until it was forced upon us, for many organisations the belief was never quite there.

One thing’s for certain. The last few months have proved that we can deal with change, and today, we’re more open to changing our behaviours and the way we work than ever before. A lot’s changed, and in a very short space of time, but what does this mean for your colleagues?

Here at McCann Synergy, we’ve always been passionate about delivering incredible employee experiences across the employee journey. As organisations are finding their colleagues’ beliefs and expectations have shifted exponentially, they’re having to re-evaluate the approach to the employee experience. So, as the dust settles and we all start think about shaping the Next Normal, everyone will need to consider how their colleagues are feeling, and the working experience that’s right for them. 

What do employees want?

There are two questions every business must be asking their colleagues right now:
1. How has COVID-19 positively changed your work life?
2. What have you found most difficult?

We recently put the same questions to our colleagues across McCann, here’s what they had to say.

Top 5 positives

1. Less commuting
   People enjoy having more time to focus on themselves and their family. It saves them time, money and reduces stress.

2. Flexible working
   People like the autonomy to manage their own time and to not be restricted by the 9/5. Many colleagues would like a mixture of home working and office work in the future.

3. Work/life balance
   Many people are finding it easier than before to balance their personal and professional lives.
4. Family routine
   People are enjoying getting into better routines with their families.

5. Time with loved ones
   Similar to the above, people want to spend more time with their families.

Top 5 negatives

1. Childcare
   Balancing home-schooling and childcare with work is incredibly challenging.

2. Work/life balance
   The line between home and work is now very blurred. People are working longer hours and feeling burned out.

3. Lack of personal interaction
   People miss the face-to-face discussions and interactions that office life brings.

4. Lots of Zoom/video calls
   Spending hours on calls is draining. We meet with our colleagues, clients, friends and family online now – it’s too much.

5. Missing colleagues
   Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Workplace – they’re all great, but nothing beats sitting down and having a chat over a cuppa.

Shaping your employees’ experience

If you’re ready to act, this is an amazing opportunity to review your approach and completely reinvent your employee experience. A few simple questions in a regular pulse survey is all it takes to connect and listen, and it will give you a lot of insight to make a flying start.

To get going, our employee experience mapping workshop can help you create an authentic, consistent experience across your colleague lifecycle. To book a workshop or to see how we could help you with employee engagement, get in touch with nicky@mccannsynergy.com