We agree. The headlines are dire. A day does not go by where there is not another headline about the great resignation, the shortage of workers to fill much-needed frontline jobs, or about the quagmire that companies are navigating as they seek to bring their workforces back into the office – in some fit or fashion. There is still much uncertainty in the ecosystem it would be easy to pull the covers over your head – and go back to bed. Ask yourself this though…
What if You Engaged Your Employees on Purpose?
We recently read an HBR article Why Are We Here, and while it was written prior to the pandemic the premise of the article could not be more timely – for many employees a sense of purpose is essential in motivating them. The article shared an example from PWC and Strategy and Consulting business, where in a survey of 540 employees, they found:
- 28% of respondents felt fully connected to their company’s purpose
- 34% thought they strongly contributed to the company’s success
- 22% agreed their jobs allowed them to fully utilize all their strengths.
So, the question bears asking – as you are navigating this new hybrid work environment, what would happen if you began to engage your employees around your company’s purpose.
Answering the Big Question: Why Am I Here?
For many organizations, there is an entire crop of employees that have been hired in the last 15 months who have never stepped foot into the office. They have never seen the ping pong tables – or the cool cafeteria – or the conference rooms named after the characters from Harry Potter. They have no connection to place in the context of the organization.
As you consider your return to work strategy try connecting that less to a sense of place – and more to a sense of purpose. How does collocated collaboration and work more effectively connect to the purpose of the organization – for some works and roles it will be apparent – for others it may mean diving deeper to illustrate those connections.
We are in the same ocean, not the same boat.
Our final word of advice on navigating this brave new world is to be human – and remember we are not all in the same boat. We are in the same ocean. We are weathering the same storm or currents – but we all come with our own level of resources and dependencies, and challenges. Give your employees and yourselves the kindness to work through discussions with humanity.
How are you navigating the return to work? How does your organizational purpose play into those plans? We would love to hear from you. We are all in this together, and together, we learn.
