Remote & Hybrid Culture

6 Ways 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 Can Combat Loneliness in the Workplace

2024-12-04T07:00:04-05:00

New research shows that culture plays a crucial role in whether employees feel lonely at work, and how those feelings impact bottom line business results.

One in five employees worldwide is lonely at work, per Gallup. And you might not know who those employees are in your organization.

“One of the things that people are getting wrong is they think it’s rare to be lonely at work,” says Constance Noonan Hadley, associate professor at Boston University Questrom School of Business and the founder of the Institute for Life at Work. “People don’t talk openly about their loneliness due to stigma, and they also don’t show up in a way that signals to others, ‘I'm lonely.’”

Because there are clearly established norms around workplace behavior, it’s more likely for employees to hide their true feelings to conform to their company’s expectations.

Hadley’s latest research, co-authored with Sarah Wright at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, suggests that not only is loneliness a common issue in the workplace — it’s something that companies can address through changes to jobs and work environments.

It’s clear that companies should be invested in tackling this problem. “There’s lots of building evidence about just how damaging it can be for the bottom line of the company,” Hadley says.

"It shouldn’t be assumed that if you’re in the office you’re not lonely, and if you’re working remotely, you are lonely. It's much more complicated than that."

Leaders can expect higher healthcare costs due to loneliness. “Medical research shows high rates of illness and early mortality associated with loneliness, everything from cancer to dementia,” she says. “If you’re an employer paying healthcare costs, then you’re going to be spending more to cover all the medical bills.”

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Loneliness also poses risks to productivity, performance, and employee turnover. Great Place To Work® research shows the importance of meaningful connections with colleagues for employee well-being, and highlights the impact of these experiences with employee retention, agility, and more.

What is loneliness in the workplace?

The scholarly study of loneliness in the workplace is only a few decades old.

Most of the previous research has been into general loneliness, such as among older people, and not people’s experience in the workplace. In their latest study, Hadley and Wright examined 1,000 knowledge workers who were either low, moderate, or high in loneliness to understand the personal and job features that set apart the highly lonely employees.

Which employees are most likely to be lonely?

“Some have said this is a young person’s problem, they grew up on social media or they’re just new in their career and they’re working remotely, so of course they don’t feel connected. That’s not what we’re seeing in our data.”

While personality traits like introversion increased the likelihood that employees were lonely, there are high numbers of lonely employees for every personality type.

Hadley and Wright’s research found that role level and work style both had an impact on loneliness. More junior employees were more likely to say they were lonely and fully remote workers were also more likely to be lonely.

Age was not a factor, Hadley says. “Some have said this is a young person’s problem, they grew up on social media or they’re just new in their career and they’re working remotely, so of course they don’t feel connected. That’s not what we’re seeing in our data.”

Gender also didn’t make a difference, but there was evidence than non-white employees were a bit lonelier than white employees.

Even though full-time remote workers were at higher risk for loneliness, a return to the office won’t solve the problem. “It shouldn’t be assumed that if you’re in the office you’re not lonely, and if you’re working remotely, you are lonely,” Hadley says. “It’s much more complex than that.”

There are large numbers of employees from all work styles and demographics who report being lonely.

For companies, this requires a similarly universal approach to the issue with remedial programs that connect with every employee.

What companies can do to fight loneliness

"If there’s no slack in the system, you are really asking a lot for people to figure out how to bond when every second of their day is supposed to be productive."

As part of their research, Hadley and Wright have six suggestions for companies to reduce loneliness in their workforce:

1. Start with a baseline of measurement. Before taking action, make an effort to measure how your workforce is doing. Employee surveys with a validated tool or model are crucial.

“You have to take care to make sure you use good practices, such as making sure confidentiality is assured, clarifying what you’re going to do with the data, etc.,” Hadley says. Hadley and Wright created the Work Loneliness Scale to help companies measure loneliness effectively.

2. Identify the drivers of loneliness in your workforce data. The exact population of workers that struggle the most with loneliness will be different for every company, Hadley says. However, leaders should expect to find core elements of their workplace culture to play a prominent role.

One common example is when workers don’t have downtime or space for activities like a virtual coffee with a colleague. “We say if there’s no slack in the system, you are really asking a lot for people to figure out how to bond when every second of their day is supposed to be productive,” Hadley says.

3. Make building bridges part of performance reviews. Time spent connecting with co-workers is often considered “non-promotable” and therefore is not prioritized. This comes down to what leaders say is valuable to the company and how those behaviors are tracked and rewarded in annual reviews.

Hadley recommends adding a simple question to performance reviews: “Did you build bridges and foster relationships this year?”

4. Invest in your social calendar. While there is no one kind of social event that dramatically tips the scales, a regular calendar of events does reduce loneliness. Hadley says, “You need to build organization-sponsored social activities into the rhythm of work. People that were lonely worked in jobs where there were occasional social opportunities, but not at the same scale or frequency as those who were not lonely.”

5. Offer more than one kind of employee group or program. While Hadley and Wright didn’t ask specifically about employee resource groups (ERGs), Hadley warns that companies should not rely on only one group to provide belonging for employees.

ERGs can have immense value for underrepresented groups and provide quick integration for employees joining an organization, but the goal over time is to achieve a broad base of relationships in the organization. “I don't think you can drive up belonging-based productivity and job satisfaction if your social group is very delimited by one particular factor,” she says.

6. Define leadership participation. How leaders participate in programs to build community in your organization makes a big difference, Hadley says.

“Leaders have responsibility not only to show up at these events and help host them, but also to actually be humble enough to say, ‘Maybe I need more networks, too,’” she says. The best leaders won’t expect to show up and dispense wisdom but will see value in building new relationships, even for themselves.

Remote Employee Onboarding: 8 Ways To Create an Exceptional Employee Experience

2024-10-24T09:49:17-04:00

Being thoughtful about onboarding remote employees is crucial for fairness and employee loyalty.

Across the globe, companies have embraced remote and hybrid workplaces as a lasting part of how work gets done. For many organizations, there's no going back—remote work is here to stay, and processes must evolve to support the remote employee experience.

Nowhere is this more true than in onboarding remote employees. It’s hard to create an onboarding experience that makes people feel like they belong somewhere, when that “somewhere” isn’t a physical space. But it’s a critical part of both reinforcing employees’ decision to join your company and strengthening your company culture.

Here are a few ways you can ensure that your remote onboarding program immerses remote employees in your workplace culture.

1. Get the organization excited about new remote employees

Encourage your leaders to anticipate greatness from fresh talent. No one should feel like they have to prove themselves to anyone else – ever.

You hire remote workers for a reason, right? They’ve done the work to earn an offer. Just like onsite team members, remote employees have the qualities and skills needed to add value to the team and help your organization achieve its mission.

Here are a few ways to prepare the company to give remote employees a warm welcome:

Ensure leaders articulate how the company’s success and shared purpose is accelerated by new hires
Make an announcement that celebrates new hires’ unique gifts and who they are as human beings to help your employees get to know them
Invite new hires to write a few words about themselves so that team members can identify any shared interests or interests that excite curiosity

Connections happen quickly when there is more than just work to share.

2. Assign a “new hire buddy” that embodies your company culture

New remote workers need a friendly face to go to for clarity in the onboaring process. Having someone that each new hire “knows” can also foster the kind of social support that strengthens remote teams.

A buddy system should include regularly scheduled check-ins. This creates a dedicated safe space for new remote employees to ask questions they don’t feel comfortable asking in a group Zoom or Slack channel.

Connections happen quickly when there is more than just work to share.

Think carefully when choosing who to tap as a new hire buddy. An ideal buddy is someone who:

Embodies the organization's core values
Acts as an ambassador of the business
Thrives as a go-to guide for others

It’s important to be sure that the buddy genuinely wants to be and enjoys being a part of the journey others are on. (Bonus points if coaching is a part of your buddy’s development.)

3. Encourage virtual “coffee meetings” with varying roles in the business

It’s important to set time aside each day for your new hires to establish relationships as soon as possible. This is especially true if your onboarding process is very information-heavy. This deliberate approach to virtual office connections in a remote environment will accelerate team camaraderie.

Most of these casual meetings should be with employees outside of the new hire’s own role so they can learn about different aspects of the business and connect with the people that can provide context for the big picture.

Since every organization is unique, these informal meetings will enable your new hires to more efficiently connect the dots of your business and associate the information they are getting from the training with the roles that perform these important duties.

In an office setting, these connections may have happened organically. In a remote setting, these dedicated meetings create a more intentional way of connecting to your workplaces’ social ecosystem than ever before.

4. Create an ERG made up of first-year remote employees & empower them meet periodically

It’s already hard to be the new employee in an office setting. In the remote world, it’s even harder. Creating a remote Employee Resource Group (ERG) for new hires to share learnings will foster a sense of camaraderie early because everyone in the group can relate to one another.

This ERG is especially useful when the remote employees are in different roles, because learning in one role could benefit everyone in the group. You can provide prompts for the group meetings to have more intention or allow for free-form discovery and natural conversation.

There’s no wrong way to let a group like this connect – it’s more about common ground than having a set agenda. Bonus points for creating a chat channel just for first year employees.

5. Be vulnerable and share where the business has opportunities to improve

No business has perfect processes in place and there’s always room to evolve and grow with the world around us. It’s essential for leaders and individual contributors to voice what’s not working, especially if your company is new to operating remotely.

Your new hires, having started in a completely remote environment, will have firsthand knowledge and ideas for improving the remote experience. (In fact, the inspiration for this post came from a new remote employee!)

6. Meet remote employees where they are at, not the other way around

Remote workers do not have the luxury of being shoulder-to-shoulder with a veteran employee to ask quick questions or get in-the-moment guidance.

In a remote work environment, that kind of invaluable support happens asynchronously—a question asked on your company’s messaging platform gets answered when someone is available, and in some cases that might not be for hours.

This is especially true when employees are spread across time zones, as well as when companies wisely give remote employees flexibility to incorporate work-life balance into their schedules.

While onboarding remote employees, it’s important to give them as much time as they need to learn about the core business and its products/services/offerings, as well as the psychological safety to ask as many questions as possible.

Have 30-, 60- and 90-day development checklists for new hires to assess their needs and confidence in different areas. Avoid the expectation that remote workers know everything by a certain date; instead, embrace the way they learn and the journey to help them get there.

7. Double up the one-on-ones with people managers

Having one-on-ones with direct reports should be on every manager’s schedule, but new hires in a remote environment should have twice as many one-on-ones for at least 90 days into the onboarding process.

This extra “face time” is essential for establishing a remote mentor-mentee relationship. It takes time to develop and understand each other’s communication styles, so managers must spend extra time with new hires to cultivate a bond early on that facilitates great communication.

8. Celebrate each milestone with a proper shout out on your communication tool

We’ve all heard the idea of celebrating small wins. Remote workplaces in particular can benefit from this culture-strengthening practice.

For example, managers can recap what the 90-day onboarding journey of a remote employee has brought to the team. Share what the team has learned from them and how they’ve already contributed.

Collect anecdotes from those who have spent time with this new hire to share words of encouragement and make your pride in this employee known. Celebrate remote employees’ work milestones and encourage colleagues to give recognition and praise freely.

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Your new remote employees will have an unforgettable onboarding experience in a space they look forward to logging into every day.

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How Remote and Hybrid Work Affects Your Organization’s Culture

2024-08-05T07:00:27-04:00

Check out these tips from leaders at Great Place To Work Certified companies on how to overcome the challenges of remote and hybrid work.

How has the rise of remote and hybrid work changed workplace culture?

While many employees value the flexibility offered by remote and hybrid work, the data shows that loneliness is on the rise and workers are feeling more isolated at the workplace. However, remote and hybrid work isn’t necessarily driving feelings of loneliness, according to researchers.

Instead, the roll out of remote and hybrid work policies have become key inflection points for culture at companies like Nationwide and Edward Jones, both of which made the Fortune 100 Best 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 to Work For® List in 2024. Both companies leaned on their values to develop policies that supported employees, a tactic that they highlight as a key reason for success.

Edward Jones has 54,000 employees, the majority of which are financial advisors and client team support staff that operate in local communities around the country. These employees work in-person, even during the pandemic, as leaders and essential resources in their communities. About 9,600 employees at Edward Jones are home office associates who work in a hybrid model with three days a week in the office. Employees who don’t live within a comfortable commute to an Edward Jones office are asked to report to an office at least three times a year.

At Nationwide, 50% of associates work remotely, and 40% keep a hybrid schedule. About 10% of mission-critical staff report to the office every day.

See our latest research report on how onsite, remote, or hybrid work drives the employee experience.

Vinita Clements, EVP and chief human resources officer at Nationwide joined Suzan McDaniel, chief human resources officer, Edward Jones for a conversation to explore the challenges and opportunities offered by remote and hybrid work at the 2024 For All Summit™ hosted by Great Place To Work®.

Lean on your values

Leaders might wonder how long-term remote work is affecting company culture. Can you maintain an award-winning culture when everybody is working in different places?

“The very first thing that any company has to do is really understand its values,” Clements said. Those values should inform policies and norms, no matter where an employee works.

Nationwide launched a formalized campaign to reinforce cultural values called “We Are the Culture.” “I wanted to dispel this notion that you have to come into the workplace to experience the culture,” Clements said. “You experience the culture by your behaviors and how you treat each other.”

The campaign used storytelling to help employees have a sense of belonging and lean into leadership, no matter what role they had at the company.

The rise of remote work has also expanded Nationwide’s values as the lines between work and home have blurred.

“Before [hybrid work] it was, ‘How is the work experience for your associate? How is the work experience?’” Clements explained. Now employers are asked to care about the full life experience of a person working for their company.

“You can no longer just be concerned with what's happening in the work location,” Clements said.

“It really is about listening, deeply understanding and ensuring that we are able to meet their needs where we can." - Suzan McDaniel, chief human resources officer, Edward Jones

McDaniel also says that cultural values around care and empathy at Edward Jones have been reinforced, not weakened by hybrid work policies.

“카지노 커뮤니티 랭킹 spirit of caring, of altruism, of helping others, is just paramount to who we are,” she explained. “We know that that’s primarily done through relationships. And those relationships can be virtual; they can be in person; but it’s really important that we focus on those relationships.”

Is remote work a leadership killer?

Some business leaders argue that it’s impossible to mentor and manage people remotely.

Clements and McDaniel agree that remote work requires a different skill set from leaders.

“Not all of them know how to lead in a remote environment,” Clements said. “How to teach leaders how to be empathetic? How to have an empathetic ear when you’re talking to your associates? To listen to not only what they’re saying, but what are they intending to say?”

Nationwide offers a whole curriculum for training leaders on these “soft skills” and how to connect with employees.

When embracing remote work, leaders must drive transformation efforts, McDaniel shared. “카지노 커뮤니티 랭킹 leaders know our associates the best. They’re closest to them, they’re actively leading this.”

“You can no longer just be concerned with what's happening in the work location.” - Vinita Clements, EVP and chief human resources officer at Nationwide

Edward Jones also helps leaders understand different personas within its workforce by identifying segments with shared needs and wants and then training leaders on how to address these segments of the workforce.

Leaders receive toolkits to be able to address topics like coming back to the office or hybrid work policies. “A lot of our leaders had never had that level of conversation with that level of emotion,” explained McDaniel, “where people felt very passionately about staying home.”

To prepare for tough conversations, leaders at Edward Jones are encouraged to practice with each other, and help coach one another to have better communication with associates.

Performance management

How can leaders ensure that employees are productive and performing at a high level?

“This is a heavy lift, because every organization has to really identify: What are the outcomes?” Clements says. Measuring productivity requires more than just checking attendance.

Even when a business has record-breaking sales or bottom-line performance, that doesn’t always give a clear picture of individual performance. “You have to continually manage to understand the outputs of productivity in your business units,” Clements said.

Reimagining the office

Great workplaces are thinking about different uses for their office space. Nationwide has redesigned many offices into bespoke collaborative spaces.

Edward Jones listened carefully to employee feedback, and learned there were experiences that people had when working from home that could be replicated in the office. When leaders learned that employees missed going on walks during the workday or having walking meetings, they created walking trails near their office. When parents shared how they struggled to have time to make dinner for their family, Edward Jones responded by offering healthy meals that associates can pick up from the office and take home.

“We also have things to make it fun,” McDaniel says. Whether building an indoor pickleball court for associates or giving away tickets to sports and culture events, the underlying principle is to meet the specific desires of the people at the company.

“It really is about listening, deeply understanding and ensuring that we are able to meet their needs where we can,” McDaniel said.

How remote and hybrid work affects equity

While some see offering remote and hybrid work options as building a more equitable workplace, there are ways that hybrid work can threaten fairness in the workplace.

“Leaders would have some of their team members in the office every day, and then some that would be virtual,” Clements explained. “They have the meeting, and the people are on the camera — and then the camera goes away, and the meeting continues.”

In those scenarios, employees on camera were getting incomplete information or missing out on important decisions.

“It started to feel like the people who were in the office had an advantage,” Clements said. “They had more time with the leader, they got to hear more about different strategies.”

To level the playing field, virtual meetings became 100% virtual with leaders hosting a call from their office and everyone dialing in.

Another risk to fairness is whether remote employees get the same consideration as in-person staff for promotions. To ensure promotions are fair, Nationwide relies on its training program and tools that track promotability for all employees.

“It’s important to look at that data because you don’t want unintended consequences of what you’re trying to do in the right place end up hurting you,” Clements said.

Where do you get the data? Start with employee surveys — but be ready to act.

“Once you ask your people what’s on their mind, you have to do something with it,” Clements said.

Join us in Las Vegas!

Register for the next For All Summit™, April 8-10, to connect with leaders and experts from great workplaces around the world.

What the Data Says About Remote Work: Industry-Specific Insights and Strategies

2024-07-30T07:18:58-04:00

Check out these insights for setting remote work policy in industries from tech and finance to health care.

Does your company need to offer remote work options to be competitive when recruiting top talent?

Great Place To Work® identified unique challenges and opportunities created by remote work depending on your industry. While industries like health care, retail, or manufacturing all have operational challenges in offering remote work, the data shows that flexibility can have real benefits for employees — and drive higher levels of engagement and retention.

But what does flexible work look like in practice, and how does the data match up with what companies at the Best Workplaces™ are doing?

Here are some examples of how companies across industries are embracing flexibility and creating a competitive advantage for their business.

Technology

Technology workers can easily adapt to remote work environments, and in the early days of the pandemic, many technology companies were quick to announce they would offer remote work indefinitely.

However, the data shows that remote work does create challenges for workplace culture. Compared with tech workers who work remotely, employees that work onsite at a tech company were more likely to say management has a clear vision for the company (21%) and more likely to say management keeps its promises (20%).

In-person workers were also 20% more likely to report having special and unique benefits, which proves that offering remote work, on its own, isn’t enough to create a highly competitive workplace culture.

Here some ways that technology companies can stand out from the pack as they navigate their future around remote work:

1. Ensure that remote employees can participate in company activities and have unique experiences tailored to them

At Cisco, enabling remote work means building new technology to optimize collaboration between in-person and offsite team members.

Some of the innovative new tools include a camera that focuses on a speaker as they move, AI transcription and translation tools, new whiteboard co-creation tools, headsets that filter out background noise, and more.

Beyond investing in tools to help employees connect, great workplaces also consider how to make sure remote employees feel connected to the wider organization. If you have a company celebration, how can you help every employee participate?

Virtual events should receive the same care and attention to detail that is paid to in-person activations.

2. Make an extra effort to get feedback from remote employees

If on-site employees are more likely to say that management keeps its promises, that might indicate leaders are communicating more effectively with these employees.

Listening can make a huge difference in how leaders build trust with employees, and tech companies with remote or hybrid employees should consider how their listening efforts might overlook workers who are not physically present.

When Adobe shifted to a hybrid work model in 2020, it turned its Lab82 project into a global human-centered experiment to uncover new ways of working. The project tested new ways for in-person and remote employees to collaborate, new processes for onboarding employees, and programs to help employees connect with each other. After each experiment, the team collected feedback from participants and made recommendations to the organization for new policies.

3. Retrain managers to build connection with remote employees.

Managing employees remotely requires a slightly different skillset, and great workplaces are offering their people leaders training to adapt to new models and workflows.

At Cisco, managers were trained on a new set of Collaboration Commitments, expectations and companywide values around how people work together and show up to work every day. New policies were introduced that empowered teams to set their own hybrid work policies that balanced the needs of team members and the realities of business operations.

Managers also received a “Hybrid Quick Start Guide” to help leaders navigate setting new team norms and rituals. Teams could also participate in workshops where they could work together to set new rules for how their team would work together.

Health care

While there are challenges to offering remote work in health care, the data shows that there are clear advantages for employees who have remote work options.

And HR leaders in health care see increasing flexibility as an inescapable reality for the future of the industry.

“We have to start thinking differently,” Gina Ebersole, assistant vice president of talent strategy at Main Line Health tells Great Place To Work. “What is the other choice? We can continue in our same model experiencing staffing shortages and keep fighting it, expecting it to go back to the way it was. But it’s not going to go back to the way it was.”

The data shows that employees who work remotely in health care are more likely to say they have special and unique benefits (24%) and more likely to say their manager understands what is important to them (22%).

Here’s how great workplaces in health care are solving challenges to overcome the challenges posed by in-person work restrictions and remain competitive in the search for top talent:

1. Find unique ways to recognize the service of on-site health care employees

Remote employees were 14% more likely than in-person employees to say that every employee is valued as a full member of the team. For health care companies, that means looking at efforts to recognize and reward the service of on-site employees.

At Atlantic Health System, leaders wanted an improved way to reward and recognize team members and in June of 2022, it launched a revamped platform for recognition called “CELEBRATE.”

The platform allows employees to recognize each other, and leaders can recognize team members with points that can be redeemed as gifts. However, what really sets apart Atlantic Health’s recognition platform is the way the tool was enabled across the workforce.

Monthly leadership training sessions were held to educate leaders about the tool, and a special celebration dinner recognized leaders who were highly engaged in recognizing their teams on the platform. To reach frontline employees, the company created printed materials including tent cards, flyers, and posters — and used QR codes so employees could easily access nomination forms on their phones.

For health care companies, recognition must consider the realities of the work environment, where employees don’t sit behind a computer screen. Just having a recognition program isn’t enough. How you enable the program makes the difference between a truly great workplace culture and the alternative.

2. Listen carefully to uncover the challenges that make remote work attractive to health care employees — and design benefits to address those issues

What do your employees value about the ability to work remotely? There might be other ways to solve for their specific needs without offering remote or hybrid work.

Employees might want flexibility to attend family events, balance childcare and work responsibilities, or better manage their work-life balance. How can your organization offer programs that address their concerns?

It starts with listening, and great workplaces in health care take surveys and listening sessions very seriously.

At Wellstar Health System, every team is asked to develop an action plan based on its annual Great Place To Work survey. A cross-function group of 15 frontline managers and one physician also offer feedback as part of the “Wellstar Trust Collaborative.”

Texas Health Resources touts its “Open Door, Empty Chair” practice as crucial for ensuring leaders spend time getting direct feedback from employees. Any time an employee wants to talk to their manager, or any leader, they can reach out for a meeting to share concerns.

Leaders also participated in a listening tour, doing rounds with staff to hear face-to-face from employees about their challenges, successes, and ideas for improvement.

3. Challenge norms and traditions to offer the maximum amount of flexibility to workers without compromising patient care and safety

Many roles in health care can’t be performed remotely, but there are other ways to offer flexibility.

At Atlantic Health System, flexible work arrangements allow team members to better accommodate their scheduling needs. Many team members can self-schedule, choosing shifts that work best for them. Team members can choose to work with favorite colleagues or they can prioritize times of the day, which allows them to manage childcare or at-home responsibilities.

At Texas Health Resources, every department leader of a remote team was asked to submit a plan for returning to the office in 2022. Leaders surveyed their teams to get input, creating a hybrid work policy built on employee feedback.

The best workplaces are listening to the specific needs of their employees, and questioning industry norms that no longer benefit workers or patients.

Finance

카지노 커뮤니티 추천 in the finance and insurance sector have been at the center of the remote work debate for years. Banks like Citigroup, Barclays, and HSBC made news in 2024 when they changed remote work policies to require employees to report to the office full time rather than inspect home offices to meet federal regulations.

Others in the sector have been pushing employees to come back to the office since 2023 or earlier.

But what does the data say about remote work in the finance industry? Interestingly, Great Place To Work found that employees who work in-person are 24% more likely to say management keeps them informed, and 22% more likely to feel like they make a difference at work, compared with remote employees.

They are also 21% more likely to say their manager cares about them — revealing that managers of remote workers in finance should take a closer look at their efforts to stay connected to employees.

Here’s how great workplaces are overcoming these challenges:

1. Increase efforts to communicate with remote employees

Offering remote or hybrid work isn’t what determines your workplace culture. Instead, how your values permeate your remote work policies and norms are what set great workplaces apart.

The data shows that remote employees have a weaker connection with leaders than in-person employees at a typical workplace in finance. Great workplaces outperform the typical workplace by embracing a wide range of communications tools.

At American Express, CEO Stephen J. Squeri hosts quarterly town halls to share updates and connect with employees. Business unit leaders also hold town halls for their organizations, host Ask Me Anything sessions on Slack, share video messages, and make themselves available for office hours.

2. Support managers in building relationships with remote workers

Great workplaces are invested in providing every employee, whether remote or in-person, with a great manager who is invested in their success. That often requires a significant investment in leadership training.

At Synchrony, the top 300 senior leaders at the company were enrolled in a training program to ensure that employees had a people leader that embodied the company’s values. Leaders were brought together for an event that lasted two and half days that included role playing, networking, training on inclusion and belonging, and wellness programming in partnership with Thrive Global.

At Nationwide, leaders can participate in a program called “Future Ready Leader” — a fully-remote offering where participants select a four-week learning program. Each session includes individual learning, engagement with peers and networking, and practice where leaders can apply their new knowledge to their current work. Nationwide also hosts monthly forums to help leaders share knowledge and grow skills to manage employees in a virtual environment.

3. Help remote workers find deeper meaning with their roles

Having meaningful work — or a sense of purpose — is a crucial aspect of the employee experience that drives higher levels of retention for employees.

At Nationwide, more than half of associates permanently work from home and over 35% have selected a hybrid work option. To ensure that employees still build a strong connection to the company and find meaning in their work, the insurance provider offers a variety of ways for associates to connect.

“MENTORwide” is an on-going mentorship program that connects employees for learning and networking. Any associate can be a mentor, mentee, or both. The program consists of three one-on-one conversations to be held within a 90-day span.

Employees can also connect through employee resource groups — at Nationwide, called “Associate Resource Groups.” These groups can help employees tap into the deeper values and goals of the business, such as with the Green Team, which is helping to create a more sustainable future for the company and the communities where Nationwide operates.

Get more industry insights

Check out the full “Return to Office Mandates and the Future of Work” report from Great Place To Work to learn how your industry is affected by remote work, with benchmarks for the employee experience across the U.S.

How Main Line Health Is Exploring Flexible Work to Promote Psychological Well-being

2024-07-03T07:01:07-04:00

The Pennsylvania health care system saw a five-point increase in the number of employees who reported a psychologically and emotionally healthy work environment.

The health care industry hasn’t recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are just now looking back inward to say, ‘What was the impact on our health care employees,’” says Gina Ebersole, assistant vice president of talent strategy at Main Line Health, a system of five hospitals and a network of health centers and providers in suburban Philadelphia.

“People have left the health care industry in droves,” she says, and that’s changed everything in what was already a stressful industry. The organization is now more focused on resiliency, burnout, self-care, and well-being.

After two years of work, Main Line Health is starting to see movement in its employee survey results. On it’s most recent Great Place To Work® survey, the number of employees who said they had a psychologically and emotionally safe workplace went up by five points.

The gains were mirrored by improvement in the number of employees who reported being able to take time off when needed and having a healthy work-life balance, both of which also improved five points.

Turning listening into action

What’s behind the results? There are too many different initiatives in play to draw a direct line to results, Ebersole says. However, it’s clear that the organization has improved how it listens to employee concerns.

“Really what we’re trying to do is create more transparency,” Ebersole says. To give employees the space to voice concerns, Main Line Health holds safety standup huddles, ensures leaders have one-on-one skip-level meetings, and takes cues from survey results.

The most important step? Taking action on what you learn from listening efforts.

As an example, employees raised concerns about personal safety in acute care environments in the hospital, Ebersole says. Main Line Health then took immediate action, rolling out weapons detection tools, handing out badges that can send a duress signal and summon security personnel, and more.

The swift action builds trust, Ebersole says. “People talk, we listen, we act to do something about it.”

Increased flexibility

For health care companies, being able to offer flexibility is a competitive advantage in a tough labor market.

In new research from Great Place To Work, remote employees in health care had some better experiences than onsite colleagues when working for a typical U.S. company. They were:

24% more likely to report special and unique benefits
22% more likely to say their manager understands what is important to them
14% more likely to say they feel valued as full member of the team

Most health care roles aren’t going to become fully remote jobs — but the data suggests that health care companies who can offer more flexibility are more likely to attract the best talent.

Ebersole says that employee demands for increased flexibility is just the reality for health care organizations.

“We have to start thinking differently,” she says. “What is the other choice? We can continue in our same model experiencing staffing shortages and keep fighting it, expecting it to go back to the way it was. But, it’s not going to go back to the way it was.”

In practice, this means looking at different roles within the organization and questioning conventional wisdom.

“Can a role be hybrid? If the answer is ‘possibly’ or ‘potentially,’ explore it, go down that path,” Ebersole says. “If it can’t be hybrid, can you explore flexible scheduling? Anything that starts to introduce a level of flexibility for people — that’s what they’re looking for.”

Solving for employees’ needs

To meet the needs of its employees, Main Line Health is exploring multiple avenues to increase support. “Some of it is in some of the benefits that we offer,” Ebersole says, such as childcare and adult care benefits, and making adjustments to PTO policies.

Another critical piece of the puzzle is working with leaders to establish norms and model taking time away from work to recharge.

This has meant that Main Line Health has been redefining what great leadership looks like within the organization.

“In the past, a lot of it was really grounded in functional or subject expertise,” Ebersole says. “We are now saying being a leader, especially being a people leader, is more about engaging and developing your team.”

Tips for success

Ebersole shared some lessons learned for others looking to improve mental well-being in their organizations:

1. There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution for your entire workforce

Different roles and job types will require different solutions to promote well-being.

“Particularly in health care, when you have lots of different types of employees — part-time, full-time, hourly, or salaried — it is important for you to not just have a blanket approach,” Ebersole says. “Make sure that you’re listening to the needs of all of your employees, which will look different for every part of the organization.”

2. Ensure leaders practice what they preach

“When leaders are off, are they making sure that they’re disconnected” Ebersole asks. “If they’re off and they’re constantly pinging everybody asking questions, that sets an expectation that everybody else should be doing that as well.”

3. Adopt a growth mindset

For companies exploring big changes to their culture, it’s important be curious and open to learning new things.

“A lot of times we start with why things won’t work,” Ebersole says. Instead, she recommends asking: “How could it work?”

She gives the example of scheduling, where a health care worker’s shift might be 12 hours on, 12 hours off from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. “What would happen if we let somebody come in at 8 or 9 a.m.?” she asks, to illustrate the exercise for leaders. “It’s more challenging from an administration perspective, so how do we solve for that with technology? Can we use technology or automation to help solve for some of the administrative burden?”

There are real challenges for health care organizations and the employees who keep them running. Being inflexible will only compound the problem, and more of your talented workforce will go out the door.

Get more insights

See our latest research report, “Return-to-Office Mandates and the Future of Work” with industry insights for your organization.

How a Focus on Fairness Guides DVL Group’s Christy Magee

2024-07-01T07:00:01-04:00

As an HR leader of a 150-person firm, Magee shares insights on what has 94% of employees saying the company is a great workplace.

Most companies struggle to create a workplace that employees believe is fair and equitable.

It’s also one of the ways companies have struggled in the post-pandemic era amid a rise in remote and hybrid work.

For leaders like Christy Magee, senior director of HR, DVL Group, Inc., the importance of fairness was one of the big lessons of the pandemic.

We spoke with her about her journey in the HR field and her insights into the future of work for the latest in our “How I Got Here” series.

Here’s what Magee shared about why she loves her job, her favorite career advice, and what she would love to change about the workplace today:

What was the hook that first got you interested in workplace culture?

Magee: Studying the Hawthorne effect in social psychology in my sophomore year at LaSalle University! I loved the idea that something as simple as lighting, pay, or work breaks could increase productivity, therefore increasing profits.

I decided then I wanted to go into organizational behavior. Twenty-five years later, I am still here!

What has been the biggest challenge you faced in your career when trying to build a great workplace culture?

Magee: Different companies along the way have led to different challenges. At DVL, when I first started, we were dealing with a recent unsuccessful acquisition. Challenges included different handbooks, policies, procedures — even holidays were different for both companies!

They never integrated the people aspect. Building a relationship with the right decision-maker and getting all of those things streamlined helped create a sense of fairness, caring, and integrity.

What is the No. 1 lesson you have learned about what it means to be a great workplace in a post-pandemic environment?

Magee: Fairness. I was blessed with a culture at DVL that already embraced work-life balance prior to March of 2020. Work is a “verb” not a “place” at DVL. It was about finding the right balance after June 2020 on who needs to be in the office and for how many hours per week to stay successful in our collaborative culture.

The “Hybrid Workplace Policy” put in place in June 2020 still exists to this day and balances the needs of business collaboration and work-from-home desires.

How do you think AI will change your work? Are you excited for those changes?

Magee: AI, like all tools we use, needs to be used with care. I am cautiously optimistic that it will assist HR teams in new ways by simplifying current HR processes. We tend to overcomplicate processes. This is a way to simplify it.

What’s your favorite career advice you’ve ever received? Why?

Magee: I started out in operations and was managing a team. My manager happened to walk in my office on a bad day. He was walking up behind me and said, “I can tell by the back of your head that you are in a bad mood. Also, by how down your team is in the front office.”

It was like a light bulb going off that my bad mood impacted the whole team and I had no idea. He told me to get up, walk away, and take a break to talk to him about what’s going on. It was a good lesson in reaching out when you need help. If you are not a team of one, don’t act like it! Talk problems through with your team and mentors. You are not alone.

What’s a recent book or podcast you loved that you recommend to our community?

Magee: There are a lot of new books out there. I recently took a group of new leaders through the “Strengths Finder” book and test. They really got a lot out of what their leadership strengths are that they were unaware of.

We are also reading “4 Essential Keys to Effective Communication” to help us with those tough conversations, in and out of work.

What about your job makes you excited to come to work every day?

Magee: In a nutshell? Problem solving. Whether it’s a filling a gap with the best applicant, listening to a co-workers concern, strategy planning, streamlining processes, or helping a new hire with questions, I truly love being a “resource” to humans.

If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about how workplaces operate in the world today, what would it be?

Magee: Improving mental health. At this moment, my mobile phone is ringing, text messages, emails and IMs are also ringing. How can we expect ourselves to continue to mindfully work with so many interruptions of our day?

I love that these different forms of communications exist, but the multi-tasking required to tend to all of them while doing our jobs safely and effectively wears down our mental health.

Want to join the conversation? Email Ted Kitterman to learn more about participating in our profiles series.

How Great 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 Are Offering Flexible Work Options, Driving Retention and Engagement

2024-06-10T07:00:51-04:00

Research shows that when employees can choose between remote, in-person, or hybrid work, they are more likely to want to stay and more likely to be engaged.

Remote work isn’t feasible for every organization — and many employees would prefer to go to a workplace every day.

A new report from Great Place To Work®, titled “Return-to-Office Mandates and the Future of Work” found that what really makes the difference for employees is the ability to choose where they work.

In a market survey of 4,400 employees, when employees were able to pick where they worked, they were:

Three times more likely to want to stay with their organization
14 times less likely to “quit and stay”
More likely to report giving extra effort on the job
More likely to have a good relationship with their manager

So, how can companies create an environment that allows for this level of employee autonomy?

Here are tips from companies on the Fortune 100 Best 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 to Work For® List:

1. Get employee feedback from advisory groups

At Atlassian, work is oriented around time zones rather than offices. Employees must share similar working hours, maintaining a minimum of four hours of collaborative time with members of their team, but they are not required to go to an office to work.

Although employees can choose where they work, they’re expected to work in their chosen geographic location the majority of their time. They can spend up to 90 days working outside their permanent work time zone during the year.

Atlassian has made a commitment to offering a digital-first culture, with a default for virtual meetings and a greater emphasis on asynchronous communication. This ensures employees don’t feel they are at a disadvantage based on where they work.

To support their flexible work policies, Atlassian relies on its “Team Anywhere Advisory Squad,” a group of employes from different functions, geographics, roles, and tenure at the company. The squad provides feedback and counsel on the policies, ensuring employees have a voice in the decision-making process.

2. Provide more support to managers

At Cisco, teams are empowered to choose where they work to offer maximum flexibility to employees, while also meeting the needs of the business.

“People need flexibility and choice,” Kelly Jones, chief people officer, said on the "Better" podcast. “It’s crucial to employee engagement, particularly during times of change, which we’re all kind of living in all the time.”

More flexibility for employees can create complexity for managers, with more than 79% of first-line managers having at least one remote employee who reports to them.

To ensure managers can meet the challenge of hybrid work, Cisco created a “Hybrid Quick Start Guide” to help leaders develop policies, and norms for their teams. It also delivered team workshops to help teams figure out new ways to work productively and effectively in a hybrid environment.

Cisco also wanted to reinforce its culture, and rolled out “Collaboration Commitments,” which documented expectations and values for individual contributors, leaders, and teams navigating a hybrid work environment. The commitments specified expectations around accountability, inclusion and well-being, giving every leader a North Star to guide development of their team’s remote work policies.

3. Consider creative ways to offer flexibility

Many companies, particularly those with frontline employees, have never been able to offer remote or hybrid work. Retail employees were restocking shelves and serving customers throughout the heights of COVID.

Even with the rise of telehealth, health care providers admit that the in-person experience of health care is unlikely to change for the foreseeable future. Does that mean that companies in these industries simply can’t compete with companies that can offer remote work?

That’s not what the data shows.

Great Place To Work found that there were benefits for the typical U.S. employee when they could choose where they work. However, those experiences still fell short of how employees feel in high-trust workplaces, like the companies that made the Fortune 100 Best list.

Only 51% of employees at a typical U.S. workplace reported a psychological and emotionally healthy work environment when they could not choose where they work. That went up to 64% when employees could choose where to work, and rose even more to 83% when companies were Great Place To Work Certified™.

How are companies that aren’t an obvious fit for remote work offering a superior employee experience? By meeting the specific needs of their workers.

At Sheetz, a convenience store chain, scheduling was revamped to provide full-time management employees with a consistent schedule, two back-to-back days off, and flexibility around the beginning and ending of their shifts. For drivers, a consistent schedule and compressed workweek provide quality time at home — a rare and valuable perk for professional drivers.

At Atlantic Health System, scheduling models were revamped to align with what employees said mattered most. Many team members can self-schedule, choosing shifts that best fit their needs.

4. Make the office a meaningful experience

Some companies are looking to make the office more engaging to entice workers to come back to the office.

At Elevance, an event strategy offers associates the opportunity to participate in networking, in-person trainings, celebrations, and other activities. Called “PulsePoints,” these events are designed to reinforce connection between colleagues and highlight the deeper meaning in the work.

However, leaders must beware of launching a full social calendar that feels like a distraction to employees focused on meeting their goals. Elevance provides a toolkit to help develop team norms that provide the ideal balance of heads-down work time, meeting time, and space for creative thinking.

5. Always come back to the data

When communicating about changes to your remote work policies, it’s helpful to have employee survey data to inform your decision.

At Elevance, associate feedback revealed that many, particularly newer associates, were looking for mentorship and engagement opportunities that work best in an in-person environment. In response, Elevance asked associates to gather onsite weekly.

Making changes to remote work policies requires companies to be thoughtful in their approach and communication. You’ll likely get buy-in if your campaign is a response to what employees asked for in a survey.

Don’t survey employees to ask for input when you already know what action you are going to take. It’s best to approach the survey with curiosity and be willing to engage in good faith with what employees say they need to thrive.

Anything less is an exercise that will do more harm than good.

Download our report

Get research-backed insights for your industry by downloading our latest report "Return-to-Office Mandates and the Future of Work."

American Express’ Monique Herena on Embracing Change at Work

2024-04-02T01:03:01-04:00

“Embracing change is not a nice to do, it's a must do from a growth perspective.”

Monique Herena, chief colleague experience officer at American Express, reminds us how and why change and discomfort can be so powerful in the workplace on this episode of Better.

You'll learn strategies that help leaders navigate change and inspire their teams. You'll also hear how American Express has navigated flexible work and why it's important for everyone, including individual contributors, to model values and leadership behaviors.

How do you encourage leaders to embrace change?

Every colleague at Amex — whether you're an individual contributor or leader of others — is rated from a performance perspective on not just what you do in terms of business goals, but how you do it.

Everything that we do from a leadership behavior perspective is about having an enterprise mindset, being collaborative, making courageous decisions, having an external perspective.

The way we instill that mindset is through a lot of support, a lot of training and tools, and an expectation that we need people to push against the status quo, push each other, have respectful debate, and ensure that we are really instilling a spirit of creative thinking, continuous learning, and bringing people along from a change perspective.

How can we do this better, more efficiently, competitively? How can we get better? How can we learn?

We would not be around for 170 years if we have not innovated time and time again.

[Attend our annual company culture conference May 7-9, 2024, to learn transform your culture from good to great.]

How do you help identify leaders who are reluctant to change?

We spend an extraordinary amount of time on strategy and talent. We talk about it monthly, we're coaching people on the daily, and we set the tone around performance and leadership behaviors.

Are you demonstrating that change enterprise mindset? If not, how do you course correct? And if not, those people won't be here for the long term because you won't be able to perform at the level to sustain and grow at Amex.

It’s really important to set expectations and provide support, but also show what happens when you're not rowing in the same direction. Embracing change is not a nice to do, it's a must do from a growth perspective.

American Express has adopted a flexible work model, Amex Flex. How does that model work?

It is a flexible working model comprised of three work designations: fully onsite, fully virtual, and hybrid. The majority of our colleague base is hybrid.

I think we've done a really good job of listening and learning from our colleagues and not being afraid to evolve our thinking and pivot based on what we're hearing. This ensures that we craft the right solutions for our colleagues to meet their needs, but also that we meet the needs of our business and how we support our customers day in, day out.

We recently surveyed our colleagues, and 91% said they would recommend Amex as a great place to work, and that same percentage, 91%, feel supported by their leader in making decisions about their well-being.

American Express has been on the 100 Best list for 24 years, and is the No. 1 workplace in the financial industry. What is the secret to this consistency?

It’s a wonderful thing to be on lists where your colleagues are the ones putting you on those lists because it's really through their voices and experiences that give you those sort of rankings. We have a lot of pride in that.

We really believe that it's important to continue to have a consistent investment across the most important areas of your business. For us, our most important competitive advantage is our talent, and that's not sometimes. That's all the time.

If you could go back and give your younger self some advice, what would it be?

Today as an adult, I'm known as a change leader. I'm known as a courageous change leader. But I would go back and say, even though I took a lot of risks, upon reflection, I would take even more calculated risk. I would've pushed myself to do more of that because my career path was full of surprises. I pushed myself, and many times others pushed me way outside of my comfort zone. Looking back, those were the times that I grew exponentially and more so than I realized at the time.

From a research perspective, we learn upon reflection. Looking back at times when you had a little discomfort in the belly — not sure if you can land on your feet and deliver in the way you need to — those are the times where you're really learning and growing the most.

What book would you recommend to your peers?

I gave a copy of Adam Grant's most recent book, "Hidden Potential," to my team. I believe in the potential of everyone. I don't see our colleagues for where they are right now in this moment, but how we can invest in their growth and development over the long term.

There is a way to look at the world as a lifelong learner where no one really ever arrives. No one ever needs to be labeled as one thing or the other. We can all grow and change.

One of the insights I loved about Adam's book is that it's discomfort and getting out of your comfort zone that unlocks hidden potential, and there's no sort of person who has a unique ability to learn in a better, more efficient, more sophisticated way than another person.

Get more insights

Get more strategies from our workplace culture experts at our For All™ Summit, May 7-9 in New Orleans.

Subscribe to Better wherever podcasts are available so you don't miss an episode.

Is There a Relationship Between Return-to-Office Mandates and Employee Retention?

2024-02-21T13:05:59-05:00

Employees are more likely to stay longer when they have a say in where and how they work. Return-to-office mandates can potentially harm retention and diversity.

If you’ve noticed more people joining you on your morning commute, you’re probably not imagining things.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, only 18.3% of U.S. households had someone who teleworked or worked from home at least three days per week in October 2023. That’s a drop from the previous summer’s 21.2%.

But how do employees feel about this return to in-office life?

For some, it can feel disrespectful and needless. And these are the kinds of feelings that can drive a wedge between employees and employers.

But before we dive into the heart of our discussion, it's crucial to remember the big picture. Not every job fits into the remote-work mold – think of the hands-on work in hospitals, factories, or construction sites. Plus, within the same company, the chance to work from afar isn't the same for everyone.

This brings up real questions about fairness and how we ensure everyone feels valued and supported, regardless of where their work takes place. It's all about finding the right balance, ensuring your push for flexibility doesn't leave anyone behind.

Return-to-office mandates and employee trust

Return-to-office mandates have their appeal, but they can damage the trust and loyalty between employers and employees — especially if employees believe they can work just as well (or better) remotely, or if an employer’s previous statements or actions suggested that a return-to-office was unlikely.

Julian Lute, senior manager and strategic advisor at Great Place To Work, calls out the impact of shifting remote work policies:

“The issue is particularly pressing as many organizations have flipped their stance on remote work. Many initially embraced it, only to later claim that being in the office is crucial for team dynamics. This back-and-forth can undermine the trust and loyalty employees have in their employers, especially when they've proven they can work effectively from anywhere.”

Can flexible work help employees return to the office?

There are two sides to workplace flexibility. In our 2022 workforce study, remote workers say they are less likely to feel like they make a difference in their workplace. And only two in three remote and hybrid workers (65%) said they could be their true self at work. For fully onsite workers, that number rose to 71%.

Research also suggests that remote workers may feel more likely to be overlooked for opportunities or promotions.

On the other hand, a lack of workplace flexibility can have a disproportionately negative impact on BIPOC employees or employees who are dealing with high-stress situations such as caregiving responsibilities for children or elderly family members.

Not only that, but our research has shown that working from home is equally productive as working in the office — maybe even more so.

And with this, we’re seeing two vastly different opinions emerge. Some say workplaces need to embrace a remote or hybrid work culture if they want to attract and retain top talent. But then others say return-to-office mandates are required for a team to work to its full potential.

It’s no wonder so many managers’ heads are spinning.

The solution: involving employees in the decisions that affect them

Fortunately, our research has found that employee retention isn’t necessarily dependent on whether a workplace declares itself remote/hybrid. Rather, it is dependent on whether employees have any say in where and how they work.

This is where the danger of mandating a non-negotiable return-to-office becomes clear: it eliminates the employee voice and, by default, any sense of trust. When employees feel involved in the return-to-office discussion, they’re more likely to feel trusted, which in turn leads to higher employee engagement and productivity.

"카지노 커뮤니티 추천 that foster trust with their workforce are adopting a 'pull' strategy to encourage office attendance, in contrast to the 'push' strategy. While pushing employees might fill the office, it doesn't necessarily lead to increased productivity, innovation, or improved work experience," says Lute.

Other employee experience experts also explain that a blanket approach is ineffective.

“I don’t think there’s a single answer that fits what everyone needs. It changes from person to person and culture to culture,” says Jan van der Hoop, President of Fit First Technologies, a talent-matching platform focused on job fit.

“Any company who mandates a full-time return to office for everyone is at risk of losing their best talent… Top performers can take their skills and go find a new job. And I can tell you firsthand from talking to employers who have put their foot down, they’ve lost people.”

How are employees responding to return-to-office mandates?

According to our latest research on employee retention, the risk of employees leaving decreases when employees can choose where they work.

카지노 커뮤니티 랭킹 study found that employees are:

3x more likely to want to stay when they can choose between remote, hybrid, or onsite work
2x more likely to want to stay when their work team or group can choose their remote work policy

Among the employees we surveyed, only 43% of those under an employer mandate said they desire longevity in their roles. By comparison, 60% of those able to choose their work location said they wanted to stay with that employer long-term.

For employers struggling to attract talent and balance employee demands with company needs, this should come as a relief.

That’s because, despite what some of the more dramatic HR headlines may say, employees aren’t solely seeking work-from-home jobs. They’re seeking jobs that allow them to bring their full selves to work, by encouraging them do their best work while also acknowledging that they have lives and responsibilities beyond the workplace.

In other words, workplace flexibility and choice are the key factors when it comes to employee retention.

What are the challenges of introducing flexibility and autonomy in the workplace?

Introducing flexibility and autonomy into our workplaces comes with its own set of challenges, particularly as we navigate the aftermath of the pandemic. Lute offers insight into these complexities:

"Even before the pandemic, many companies were exploring ways to make work more flexible and to give employees more autonomy. The arrival of COVID-19 pushed these initiatives into overdrive.

“Now, we're faced with the challenge of making these adjustments permanent in a meaningful way. It involves rethinking how we foster connections when casual desk visits are less common, and how employees who became accustomed to smaller, more nimble teams during the pandemic can adapt to expanded operations and new expectations."

In the grand scheme of our modern work lives, this shift towards flexibility and autonomy is still in its infancy. Considering that the traditional office environment has been the norm for decades, it's understandable that fully integrating and optimizing these new ways of working will require time.

We're charting new territory in the workplace, and it's natural for there to be a learning curve as we all adjust to these changes.

Balancing workplace flexibility with fairness

As we reflect on the journey toward more flexible and autonomous work environments, it's crucial to acknowledge the varied landscape of our modern workforce. The reality is that not every industry or role lends itself to remote work.

In some fields, the nature of the job demands physical presence, while in others, the opportunity for remote work may not be uniformly available, leading to concerns about fairness and equity within the same company. This diversity in work experiences reminds us that a one-size-fits-all approach to workplace flexibility isn't just impractical; it's impossible.

Offering employees a say in where they work has been linked to numerous benefits, including increased satisfaction and productivity. However, this doesn't mean the right move is to give employees an unrestricted choice.

Effective remote work policies require thoughtful parameters that consider the nature of the work, its impact on colleagues and the broader company, and alignment with company values.

What about those who, due to the specifics of their roles, cannot choose their work setting? In these cases, companies need to engage in an open dialogue with employees. Understanding the underlying needs and perceptions of inequity among these employees allows for creative solutions that support work-life balance and psychological well-being, even if remote work isn't an option.

It's also important to remember that remote work isn't universally desired or beneficial. The advantages and drawbacks vary widely among individuals and organizations, reflecting the complexity of adapting to this model. What works splendidly for one may pose challenges for another, emphasizing the need for a nuanced approach to workplace policies.

In our debate on the future of work, we must remain grounded in the diverse realities of different industries and roles. The shift towards more flexible and autonomous working arrangements speaks to a broader evolution in how we define and approach work.

Yet, this evolution must be inclusive, recognizing the full spectrum of work environments and ensuring that our strategies are as adaptable and varied as the workforce itself.

카지노 커뮤니티 랭킹 goal should not be to champion remote work as the only path forward but to shape a workplace culture that values flexibility, equity, and choice within the practical constraints of each unique industry and role.

Make your return-to-office transition a success

Looking to ensure trust remains strong as your team transitions back to the office or continues working remotely? Partner with Great Place To Work and access our Trust Index™ Survey. It’s an effective tool for deeply understanding your employees' needs and concerns.

By working together, we can help you navigate the challenges and create a workplace where everyone feels valued, heard, and happy, no matter where they’re working from. Reach out to us, and let's start building a stronger, more connected workplace together.

Download our report, Unlocking the Secrets of Employee Retention, for strategies and insights on maximizing the employee experience in your workplace.

Cisco’s Kelly Jones on Making Hybrid Work Successful

2024-01-09T02:00:29-05:00

“People need flexibility and choice. It's crucial to employee engagement, particularly during times of change, which we're all kind of living in all the time.”

On this episode of the Better podcast, Kelly Jones, chief people officer at Cisco, shares what's on her mind as we start a new year. (Hint: trust.)

We also dive into new research around remote and hybrid work, and the impact mandates have.

And, she shares the five questions people managers at Cisco ask in every check-in, including what did you loathe about your week?

She also reveals the secret behind making the Fortune 100 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 To Work For® List for 26 years.

On navigating hybrid work successfully:

We don't have a mandate. We were very flexible even before flexible work became a thing. It's been a differentiator for us in how we attract and retain talent.

People need flexibility and choice, it's crucial to employee engagement, particularly during times of change, which we're all kind of living in all the time. What we learned wasn’t that people don't want to come in. They just don't want to come in and work asynchronously. What doesn't work is just saying, "Come in these two days because I want to see you."

The types of things that work that we've seen are aligned to learning, collaboration, and different moments and innovation cycles for brainstorming and celebrations.

On why HR and culture leaders should prioritize trust:

One of the things that is really on my mind is trust. It's the most valuable currency that we have with our employees. Trust followed by time — the amount of time that our leaders spend with our teams.

How we navigate in an increasingly complex world and ensure that our teams always understand the why behind any decisions that we make is really important. One of the things I've noticed is whether your employees always agree with you or not on decisions that you're making — if they trust you and they know that you're doing it with their best interests in mind, and they have a history of knowing that you show up for them, that trust is a very valuable currency for organizations.

Attend our annual company culture conference May 7-9, 2024

On what questions people managers ask in weekly check-ins:

We have kind of a ritualized weekly check-in with our leaders and teams. We ask them to check in and answer a few top-line questions that end up driving a conversation.

Did you get the opportunity to use your strengths every day this week? One to five.
Were you able to provide great value this week? One to five.
How do you feel about the value that you provided?
What did you love that happened this week?
What did you loathe that happened?

“Loathe” is intentionally a divisive word because what we're trying to find out is are our employees working in their strengths? And when leaders understand when they're truly leveraging the strengths of their employees, they can better direct them to the type of work where we're going to get the best outcome.

On the secret to making the Fortune 100 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 to Work For® List:

Cisco is a big company and I think there's this misperception that there's this huge financial engine. It's not it at all. What is at the center of everything is understanding the experiences of all of our employees.

We have a powerful team in our employee listening space, and one of the things we do at Cisco is we put that at the center of all of our employee design. We've learned that when you design with a community not for a community — even if that community is your entire ecosystem — you are going to get better results.

We are not an organization that sits around as a people team and says, "Gosh, this is a good idea, let's go do it." We don't incubate like that. We incubate through the voices of all of our employees and understanding that becomes incredibly important. That's very much woven into the fabric of our people team and how we go about our work.

I think sometimes you look at talent programs and you assume there's a smart person making decisions about the talent programs. The smart people making our decisions are our employees. They're guiding how we make these choices.

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