One of the biggest challenges for companies and business leaders today is to build an employee experience and culture that is suitable for attracting and retaining talented workers without compromising competitive salaries.
The last two years have been characterized by the uncertainty of the sanitary crisis, socially and economically the latter has put many questions on the table which are now inescapable. Corporate culture and employee experience are two long forgotten factors that are making a significant comeback for companies globally.
The number of resignations, industry changes and surveys showing many people unsure of wanting to stay in their current positions has made the case to rethink the way we understand the workplace and the balance between work and personal life.
In this context, one of the biggest challenges for companies and business leaders today is to build an employee experience and culture that is suitable for attracting and retaining talented workers. Flexibility, training, development opportunities, inclusion… These are some of the elements people begin to inherently demand from any organization.
Although there are differences to be pointed out in the various generations encompassing today’s workforce, the sanitary crisis seems to have aligned many of the needs and demands employees and work seekers prioritize today.
Where do we stand?: People First
Much of the current workforce, including the newcomers in generation Z have expressed their expectation for a competitive salary and economic security. Many younger generation workers, mainly driven by the consequences of the Great Recession, have come to give money a similar -if not bigger- relevance than what many expected.
Although there are differences to be pointed out in the various generations encompassing today’s workforce, the sanitary crisis seems to have aligned many of the needs and demands employees and work seekers prioritize today.
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The aftermath of the pandemic for HR
Employees are very aware of the part they play for a company’s sustainability, and understand that they are indeed at the center of the business, beyond economic benefits. And while competitive salaries are a key element for their productivity, it is not enough anymore. In fact, recent studies suggest that prioritizing employee wellbeing and adequate recognition are at the top of the list.
Workers want to be paid well for what they do, but they also need to be valued and feel engaged and happy doing meaningful work. And the pandemic taught us that all of this is possible without weak or unnecessary management, but rather letting people find the flexibility they need to feel excited and thrive in their careers. In short, people look for employee-centric workplaces with development opportunities and where their wellbeing matters.
Some roles may need to be redefined, but seeking social and emotional engagement is the biggest window of opportunity in HR today.
Create a better workplace
Experts are beginning to point out the challenges of transforming financial wellbeing into human or employee wellbeing, but the long term benefits are undeniable. Some roles may need to be redefined, but seeking social and emotional engagement is the biggest window of opportunity in HR today.
But because jumping into such adjustments can be tricky, here we have listed some small initial actions that can help pave the way to an employee-centric business transformation:
- Transparent, direct and regular communication with employees: A task that may go overlooked in favor of communication with partners, share and stakeholders is that of communication with employees. In order to build more meaningful relationships, transparency and accountability are core elements that will help ensure satisfaction and appreciation of employees. Furthermore, employees might be the best ambassadors to put across the message and image of the company.
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- Engage with employees to build a strategy together: Similarly to improving communication, collaboration is also key to foster efficient problem solving. Creating a space where everyone can feel safe to bring up a conversation and discuss certain issues will leave little room for unilateral decisions made solely by leaders at the top, and which oftentimes lack the inclusion of the very people they affect.
- Foster emotional connections: Trust should be in the heart of the organization. The pandemic showed us that excessive control is destructive, but so are excessive meetings. It’s important to remember a company is not buying an employee’s time, but rather their talent, experience, creativity and results; and so acknowledging people’s values, as well as proper recognition and reward for their work is what will keep an organization afloat and aligned.
A company is not buying an employee’s time, but rather their talent, experience, creativity and results; and so acknowledging people’s values, as well as proper recognition and reward for their work is what will keep an organization afloat and aligned.
- Lead by example: Although business leaders will still have to make difficult decisions, transparency will be your best friend. Trust is easily destroyed when left in the dark about the changes the company might be undertaking, and with trust gone, so is motivation and engagement. It is also relevant to point that transparency and built in expectations need to be followed through, as leaders should be an example.
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- Don’t forget the onboarding program: An essential part of reinventing workplace culture comes from the idea of attracting the best talent, and so the transformation should start from the beginning. Employee experience starts before they join the company. Interactions with people should also promote the positive and employee centric experience that the company is trying to build.
Transparency as the driving factor for success
We believe and work for transparency to be one of the key values driving the fight for climate action, social wellbeing and good governance as it is the only way to understand what we are doing wrong, what we are doing right and what it is that we are not doing yet.
Because being transparent is not only an externality to a company, or a given organization, to help build trust and reputation; it is in fact also a great learning and improvement mechanism. You cannot manage what you don’t understand. And so we advocate for transparency, integrity and precision as imperatives to the fight against climate change.
In DoGood we are convinced of the need to understand and manage efforts to achieve a sustainable transition inside an organization for the correct and efficient functioning of the business and the community it operates in. We alone cannot achieve the substantial changes necessary, but we work on the basis of collaboration, transparency and accuracy in order to bring light to sustainable actions.
In this regard, it is essential to our work to promote good corporate governance, meaning that the processes of disclosure and transparency are followed so as to provide regulators and shareholders as well as the general public with precise and accurate information about the financial, operational and other aspects of the company, including a more accurate definition of the ESG performance.
We have developed a corporate government tool that helps establish ESG impact objectives for employees in regards to the sustainability strategy of the company. Through our technology we are able to activate and track employees’ impact, creating engagement that translates into improved ESG metrics, reputational value and an overall positive impact for the environment and society.
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If you want to know more about how we work to create a positive social and environmental impact, click here.
