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The Great Adjustment
‘The Great Resignation’ was the big topic of conversation this year, but as we look ahead, we can see that we're now heading into the era of ‘The Great Adjustment.’
More than ever, employees insist that they work where they feel appreciated, valued, and supported at a firm that they can trust. To attract and retain top talent in a competitive and dwindling talent market, reward and recognition, trust in leadership, positive managerial relationships and fair pay remain integral. Before the pandemic arrived, many organisations were scrambling to address ineffective (and widely disliked) performance management processes as work was disrupted over the past two years, urgently requiring a rethink of traditional HR processes.
Company culture continues to be a vital driver of a healthy, successful workforce, and environments rooted in open and honest communication are among those most desirable to employees. 2022 is about appreciating the people you have and adjusting to give people what they want in the future. ‘The Great Adjustment’ is coming, and it will be a mindset shift that continues the separation between the successful companies that prioritise their people's well-being and those who fail to do so.
Pre-pandemic, employees' days were spent in busy offices alongside numerous coworkers, bouncing from in-person meetings to collaboration sessions, all within prescribed working hours. We now have flexible, remote or home-based working environments. In addition, pre-pandemic employees were more likely to be responsible for their own well-being. As a result of the pandemic, we now have a significant focus on employer-supported well-being initiatives.
By keeping a pulse on what employees are looking for, whether focusing on well-being or better, more frequent communications from leadership, teams can pivot quickly to keep their workforce engaged with the right tools in place. Here are five core areas that leaders are investing in to stay ahead of their competition:
- Financial, physical and mental well-being support
- Employee reward and recognition
- Trusted leadership
- A manager who cares about their employees
- A culture of open and honest communication
Young adults rated their quality of life, optimism and well-being during pandemics lower than middle-aged and older adults and experienced higher anxiety levels and difficulty relaxing. Moreover, young adults show a more downward psychological adjustment than other age groups during the Covid-19 crisis. In the era of hybrid working, it has become clear that employee needs, rather than organisational needs, are the driving forces behind successful workplaces.
Unfortunately, in many organisations, hybrid working is still considered to be merely a perk, and companies around the globe are struggling to integrate it as a long-term, future-proof solution that benefits the wellbeing of their employees. However, by understanding what employees need and how to meet those needs, organisations can provide a range of benefits to satisfy existing workers and help attract and retain talented recruits. To address this issue, we identified the three employee needs that are key to any thriving workplace:
- Concrete needs
- Belonging needs
- Actualisation needs
You can think of these needs as the pillars of an attractive office and company culture. When you satisfy these core needs, you can more easily attract talented recruits and retain the high-performing members of your workforce.
What are concrete needs?
Concrete needs include the physical and safety requirements of employees. These are the most basic needs to meet for your employees to feel protected and healthy in a workspace. In addition, they include physiological considerations that impact how employees feel. This includes air, light, temperature, sound, nutrition, movement, and safety. It might seem that these concrete needs are straightforward and that nearly all organisations should already be meeting them. However, the data shows that this, unfortunately, isn't always the case.
When meeting employees' concrete needs, you lay the groundwork for a healthy, happy, and attractive workplace. This ensures that all employees have the necessities they need to perform their roles and feel safe in the office.
So, how do you address these needs? First, prioritising physical health is critical. This requires you to design your office in a health-centric manner that promotes well-being and efficiency. You can also utilise technology to ensure safety throughout the work environment.
The importance of physical health
To meet the most basic concrete needs in your workplace, you need to ensure that your employees are physically healthy. Without guaranteeing their health, your people won't work efficiently, and they may suffer mental or physical illness.
It would help if you also considered another significant aspect of physical health: movement.
Offering options for physical fitness like an on-site gym, fitness breaks, or free memberships to a nearby health club can all promote this aspect of a good lifestyle for your people. Physical exercise even plays a beneficial role in preventing chronic diseases, and research shows a link between exercise and the reduction of anxiety and depression.
Prioritising your employees' physical needs shows that you care about the fundamentals of their well-being. Being a health-conscious organisation is also attractive to recruits, and it can help you attract top talent. Plus, scientific evidence shows that it is possible to influence work-related outcomes, especially absenteeism, through health promotion efforts.
Office layout
Your office should have places for interaction and collaboration and places for people to work independently if they need a quiet moment to themselves. By creating a floor plan that offers multiple ways of working, employees can choose to work in an area that suits them best and empowers them to maximise their efficiency.
This becomes even more important as employees adjust to returning to the office after working in their home office environment. In addition, of course, people will have to readjust to working around others and sharing a space, but the suitable layout can make that process easier.
For help in transforming your office culture and retaining talent, get in touch with the team at IHRS - email HRhelp@ihrsolutions.co.uk, call 01604 709509 or visit the website.