That is undeniable. The world is in turmoil, and with it, the job market. More than ever before, employees are playing a key role in organizations. Simply put, employees who feel recognized and supported are the happiest. They are also the most likely to stay with the same company.
As proof, the companies that have been recognized in 2023 with the label “employer of choice” in Canada are those that prioritize the needs of their employees while equipping them with the tools and resources they need to succeed.
It is still possible to stay focused on your business; this is despite echosystemic changes over which we have limited control. Unlike your company, where it is still possible to exert influence.
Your employees are the cornerstone of your business. So why not ride the wave by focusing on creating a work environment that makes your employees happy?
Let me share some possible solutions. Which have already been implemented by my clients, and have proven successful.
1. Focus your company’s culture on developing employees
You need skilled talent to meet market demands. This is a condition that is unlikely to change. But as market conditions, technologies, and organizational requirements change, so will in-demand skills. However, technology, including artificial intelligence, is revolutionizing these positions even more. Planning ahead of the development of your talents will allow you to better manage changes.
Why not analyze your company’s productivity and ensure an increase in it by recalibrating the strengths and weaknesses of your employees? Then, develop training programs that will have an impact on your employee’s job satisfaction, commitment, motivation, and autonomy.
2. Promote open communication
Open communication is about easily sharing information between your employees in a transparent, honest, consistent, and reliable way. When employees communicate openly, they express their thoughts, feelings, emotions and plans in a clear and assertive way. By eliminating aggressive words, and nonverbal cues like body language, team members will be able to work together more effectively.
By encouraging open communication, you will avoid the formation of silos between different teams and you will promote exchanges between everyone and all your employees. Thus, you increase the opportunities to develop innovative ideas that will promote the development of your business.
3. Be the leader when it comes to your employees’ mental health concerns
Businesses are finally investing more in mental health support. The good news is that the availability of many resources provided by employers has increased since the pandemic, including additional paid time off, company-wide mental health days, and mental health training.
However, it is the corporate culture that really needs to be changed in order to make mental health a frequent topic of discussion, away from taboos. Employees who feel supported by their employer tend to be less likely to experience mental health symptoms, less likely to underperform and miss work, and more likely to feel comfortable talking about their mental health at work. In addition, they experience greater job satisfaction and intend to stay in their company. Finally, they have a more positive view of their company and its leaders, including trusting their company and being proud to work there. This reinforces the connection between the workplace culture and its ability to support mental health in the workplace when done intentionally
You have the power to make a difference
This is despite echosystemic changes. Show that your employees matter. Invest in their professional development and well-being. They will be happy and stay with you longer. If you make all these changes, you too will be on the list of employers of choice.
By Aline Ayoub
For the last two and a half years, the volume of change has been exponential. At a time when resilience, collaboration, and the desire to perform at the highest level, change has taken a toll on employees.
Employees are feeling confused, vulnerable, and fractured. Most employers think that communicating the change is enough. It is no longer the case. This is outdated. It fails to take into consideration fatigue management.
Select, time, and design the change you want to make:
Step 1: Select
Did you know that one of the major reasons driving employees’ burnout is change fatigue? Prior to making a change, you need to track and keep track of the change volume and disruption in order to make better change decisions. You need to know what drives the change. Analyze earlier change initiatives in your business: what were the reasons behind their success or failure and which lessons can be derived from them?
Have you freed up capacity in order to make room for another change? Have you identified the symptoms of your employees’ health? Any signs of burnout? Any disruption amongst employees? Have you noticed a decline in their productivity?
Step 2: Time
Once you took stock of your employees’ health, ask yourself if it is the right time to redesign processes and structures. Have you treated the symptoms? Have you identified the root causes of your employees’ change fatigue? Have you moved to a proactive approach as opposed to a reactive one?
Spend time empowering your employees to support organizational goals. Make your visions and values visible and ensure every employee supports them. It will help with ensuring every employee contributes to your values and vision.
Only then, you can introduce another change.
Step 3: Design
Take a top-down approach and make sure you are not dealing with the change in isolation. You need to embed the change into the other initiatives going on. Doing that will prevent an overload of change (once again). Take baby steps, make room for mistakes, introduce the change as a trial, and re-assess. Chose ambassadors to help you drive the change
You must make fatigue management part of your communication
Change fatigue is worth than bad. Because change fatigue is corrosive. In fact, it is the major reason causing employees to burn out. Communicating the change is not enough. This is outdated.
By selecting the change, making sure the timing is good, and designing the change, you will be addressing change fatigue.
Your communication will reflect your thought process. You will be successful in implementing the change and you will prevent your employees from burning out.
