From the start of the pandemic to now, a major shift in culture and workplace norms has occurred. Economic factors, the wide-ranging effects of remote work, and a quickly evolving technological landscape have transformed everything from the type of work that we do to the way that we do it. The most surprising shift of all however, has been a change in why we do the work we do. This change has been at the center of "The Great Resignation" as employees abandon their jobs in droves seeking self-actualization.
A few years ago, I stumbled on a blog by Tim Urban that broke down the generational evolution of the perception of happiness. Using Google’s Ngram Viewer, which shows the popularity of a phrase over different time periods, he measures the changes over time of two different phrases: “a secure career” and “a fulfilling career”:
The leading motivation influencing career paths is no longer job or financial security, it is now a matter of what would be most fulfilling. The old adage, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” has become an applied reality, disrupting the job market and workplace as we know it, shifting the control over to the employee, not the employer.
To adapt, proactive leaders have taken a distinct interest in the engagement and culture of their employees. There are countless resources available that address attracting the right people for the right positions to maximize the opportunity for self-actualization and overall fulfillment. Research backed studies have shown that managers account for 70% of variance in employee engagement, however, only about 10% of the population has a high level of talent for managing others and only 18% of current managers are a part of this group. When eight out of ten leaders are not inspiring loyalty and motivation, employees who are looking for a more fulfilling work experience have begun to search for new opportunities.
Battling disengagement and creating a positive company culture doesn't have to start at a grand scale. Small changes throughout the organization can spark to dramatic shifts in morale and employee satisfaction. Here are four easy to implement ways you can begin to achieve that:
1. Reinforce the bigger picture. Instead of drilling into individual tasks exclusively, emphasize how their piece fits in the puzzle. Every task and process is a part of a larger goal and when the task can be small or tedious, thinking about the impact they are making by doing what they are doing, and doing it well, can give them an extra boost.
2. Show appreciation and encourage peer to peer recognition. Giving praise and motivating others to do the same strengthens a sense of belonging that will further day-to-day engagement. As a bonus, appreciation is contagious; when people feel acknowledged they want to pass on that feeling to others.
3. Support routine changes. Getting caught in a rut is inevitable, especially when working from home begins to feel a little more like living at work. Constantly doing the same tasks over and over combined with Zoom exhaustion quickly lead to burnout and disengagement. For employees in positions with low autonomy, those effects are compounded. A change in the routine can be refreshing and necessary to keep your team going. This can be as easy as scheduling a virtual coffee break to break up the day asking for everyone's Netflix recommendations.
4. Create a space for employees to voice opinions and present ideas. Sometimes, being in a leadership position means you are at least slightly removed from the actual processes that the organization relies on. Giving your employees a platform to communicate opportunities for improvement not only helps them feel like they have more skin in the game, but can also bring blindspots to light and help bring positive change to the company.