Chief People Officer, Kilo Health.
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According to the Pew Research Center, one in five Americans surveyed in July 2022 planned to switch jobs in the next six months.
What can HR leaders do to help their people rekindle their connection with the workplace?
Work is no longer working.
Before looking into solutions, we must investigate the leading causes of this massive reshuffle. What are people who change jobs looking for in their employers?
Of course, one of the main reasons people change jobs is financial reward. But the pandemic also made many rethink their priorities.
Four years ago, I was one of those people. After working for over 10 years in big corporate organizations, I quit my well-paid, secure job and started my own boutique consulting business. Even though I didn’t have insurance or a long list of clients, I knew that freedom, flexibility and the ability to impact the world were much more critical for me.
The need for a clear purpose in life is essential. A recent McKinsey survey found that two-thirds of American employees said the pandemic made them reflect on the purpose of their lives and reconsider their careers.
Chris Howard, chief of research at Gartner, even claims that “People want purpose in their lives—and that includes work. The more an employer limits those things, the higher the employee’s intent to leave.”
We cannot speak of “work-life” balance anymore. Work is an integral part of life. People need purpose, security and community to thrive. We spend a third of our adult life working, and it can be a source of emotional, intellectual and social wellness. But leaders must create the right environment for their teams.
1. Start with a purpose.
There's a story (possibly a myth) about a janitor at NASA who met president John F. Kennedy in 1961. When asked what he was doing, the janitor said he was helping to put a man on the moon. Does everyone on your team know how their work helps the world become a better place?
As an HR manager, repeat the message often, use multiple channels and formats and focus on a unified experience on every channel.
You can also create meaning in other ways:
• Professional growth: Co-create development plans for your employees and help them see that they are with you to grow professionally.
• Leaving a mark: Set high goals, focus on process building and ensure that personal contributions are noticed so people can feel proud of their work.
• Belonging: Help your employees make meaningful connections. A strong network of peers can be as rewarding as working to put an astronaut on the moon.
2. Build a culture of growth.
Once the purpose is clear to everyone, create an environment that encourages growth. People who do not see perspective in their careers will stop caring about their job, and their output will suffer. This starts at the top—managers must help their people advance.
When setting your yearly KPIs, include both performance criteria and personal growth objectives. Build systems that encourage your people to outgrow their roles. Yes, they might outgrow your company at some point, too. But while they stay with you, they will achieve more.
How to create a culture of growth?
• Embrace failure: Mistakes tend to repeat themselves if you keep them a secret. Analyze failures without assigning blame. You might organize "Fail Nights" where your people can laugh at past mistakes, or include a section about issues in your quarterly presentation.
• Elevate one-on-ones: Encourage discussions of personal development and process improvement instead of reciting daily tasks.
• Reverse mentorship: Younger employees can teach the C-level about emerging technology just as much as top executives can teach newcomers about business strategy. Forget the traditional structures and consistently share knowledge.
3. Use the principles of wellness equity.
If you put in the work, you'll have a diverse group of people working in your company. Diversity is better for business, as shown by McKinsey data. But are all of your people doing equally well?
Everyone on your team needs different things. Dylan, a new parent, might prefer a flexible schedule and opportunities to work remotely. Amy, who already has a solid background, wants to share their experience and train others. Or Rony, a newbie who works remotely, might crave additional opportunities for social interaction.
People need different things at different stages of their careers. A manager’s job is to match the company's benefits with the right people. Not everyone will need to use the same benefits—but plenty of opportunities must be available to address every need.
Researchers from Harvard University recently developed a new measure of well-being. They found that to thrive, including in the workplace, people need emotional wellness, physical health, meaning and purpose, character strengths, social connectedness and financial security.
An employer cannot meet the needs of everyone within a single environment.
So what can we do to address the needs of a diverse community?
• Personalized benefits: Benefits packages must reflect people's diverse needs. If possible, ensure that your people have access to the basics (such as growth opportunities and health insurance) and can select their preferred add-ons.
• Open communication: Managers sometimes become bottlenecks—they get information but do not distribute it to their teams. Regular company-wide updates are essential, together with built-in ways to provide feedback instantly without going through the “proper” channels.
• Experience management: Build a support system that encourages personalized care, such as hiring an experience manager to create a curated employee experience.
How to create more joyful moments?
There is no clear template for what works and what doesn’t. All of us work with a unique group of experts, and we all create cultures that cannot be replicated.
The rule of thumb is to listen to your people. Most likely, they have already told you what support they need to flourish and grow. Happy people mean a successful business—and HR can be the core that connects every department.
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