Seven years of transformation in less than two months. That’s what many commentators suggest we’ve seen. But we’re nowhere near done. And that presents a huge and ongoing challenge for everyone – from leaders, to frontline managers, HR and employees.
But what about the organisational culture? Where is it in this morphing picture of work? How is it holding up? Where is it under threat? And what can, and should, be done?
When we’re helping organisations build or scale their employee experience capability, we spend a lot of time talking about culture. It has, after all, a significant impact on employee experience – some would say the most significant impact of all.
According to OC Tanner research, where organisations have a thriving culture, employees rate their satisfaction with employee experience twice as high.
An ideal culture is, of course, unique to your organisation – it is context, history and people. However, there are some key cultural dimensions that contribute to a better experience. As organisations continue to navigate this big shift, it’s worth keeping these dimensions in view. You’ll be glad you did.
- Visibly and consistently show appreciation
In order to thrive, people need to feel appreciated for what they bring and do, and valued for who they are. This dimension relates to team relationships, manager recognition and employee voice. What makes one person feel valued, may be subtly different to the next and this is a dimension that requires care and attention, as it’s easy to miss the mark. It’s also easy to neglect this vital aspect of human relationships when people are at the other end of a Zoom call, juggling life and work, or deliberately distanced and behind a mask in the workplace.
Tip: Make recognising and appreciating people for their contribution a core plank of organisational dialogue.
- Connect people to purpose
The evidence is overwhelming. People have a better experience at work when the culture is purposeful – when it is clearly aligned to the organisation’s reason for being and the difference it makes in the world.
In the years leading up to the COVID crisis, organisations globally had been placing an increased focus on articulating and communicating a meaningful corporate reason for being. And it was paying off, according to OC Tanner, nearly ¾ of employees feel a sense of purpose connected to their organisation.
Whether your organisation is thriving or surviving right now, if you want to look after people’s experience at work, you need to keep purpose at the front of everything. Don’t put it on the back shelf. Purpose needs to show up in hard times as much, if not more, than the good ones.
Tip: Encourage managers to continue to talk with team members about what aspects of work they find meaningful right now and help managers share their personal perspective with their team.
- Embed well-being into how work gets done
Even before COVID, well-being, in its broadest sense, had become a top priority for organisations. Yet the impact has been less than hoped for, with wellbeing programmes often side-lined as individually focused and adjacent to the day-to-day work rather than a core element of the work.
Much evidence right now points at challenges to people’s wellbeing – both people back in the workplace and those adjusting to new ways of working at home. We’re all stressed and stretched. This is the moment to weave active steps to improve well-being directly into the work itself. Yes, mindfulness lunches on a Monday are great, but less so if people are overwhelmed by work.
Tip: Understand people’s well-being needs and collaboratively find ways to build new behaviours, support and approaches into day-to-work as new routines and patterns are established.
- Reconnect the team
Human beings have an overriding desire to belong. Creating connection with the organisation’s purpose and actively valuing people for their contribution are key to creating that belonging. However, so too is a sense of connection to others in the organisation and being able to identifiy with a team.
The stories about Zoom team drinks, quizzes and check-ins during lockdown are impressive and important. But belonging and connection need to remain a focus and a topic of daily conversation. Particularly as new patterns of work emerge, it’s important everyone retains that sense of belonging wherever they are and however they’re connecting – online or face to face.
Tip: Stay alert to changing patterns in behaviour and inclusion as some people return to the workplace and some remain at home. The bonds that connect people will shift and some may come under strain. Keep the conversation alive and find out how people want to stay connected not just to do the work, but to each other.
To find out more about looking after employee experience during and after the COVID crisis, join us for our next Employee Experience Design Workshop kicking off on September 9, 2020.
