As the world opens up again following COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, employers that were previously accustomed to a steady hum of activity in the cubicles and corridors must decide if they are going to bring people back into the office full-time, continue to allow them to work remotely, or come up with a hybrid arrangement that provides for a mix of in-office and remote work. A positive way to view this decision is that it provides a fresh start, an opportunity to strengthen the relational subcultures throughout your organization.
One of the biggest challenges leaders face in leading remote teams is finding ways to keep members connected.
Recently, I had the opportunity to be a guest on the GovExec Daily podcast to talk about this issue and share a simple tactic for facilitating employee conversations: bringing back “show and tell.” Listen to the podcast to learn more about this tactic and how to implement it with your own team.
Photo by Compare Fibre on Unsplash
Remember doing “Show and Tell” or presenting to your classmates as the “Student of the Week” when you were in elementary school? As it turns out, our teachers were on to something. Bringing back an updated version of this practice would be more than merely an entertaining way to enliven a meeting at work. It may be just what teams need in year two of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Practically overnight the vast majority of office workers became remote workers when social distancing measures put in place in March to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus dramatically changed the way we go about our days. If that was you, over the last several months, you have had a taste of the long-touted benefits of remote work—no commute (a savings of nearly an hour a day for the average American plus the cost of commuting) and flexibility. You may also be wrestling with the challenges of blurred lines between company time and personal time, and how to effectively collaborate with colleagues who are no longer down the hall.
If you want to boost employee engagement, consider going back to the basics. Begin by answering this question: What promises should I make to the people I am responsible for leading?
Much has been written about America’s loneliness epidemic, including in the workplace. The word “loneliness” in the work context is a misnomer. It doesn’t capture the whole story.
Join me on May 30, 2018, for a complimentary webinar hosted by Terryberry. We’ll discuss why people and organizations need Connection Cultures to thrive and share practical ways to that you can begin to connect with others.
Does your organization have the data capture and practices in place to develop engaged employees from the time they are recruited through onboarding and ongoing training? Has your organization identified “moments of truth” in the employee experience that make or break employee engagement?
At the ATD TalentNext Conference, I’ll share how to develop employee experience paths that address the needs and desires of different employee segments using frameworks and metrics used by marketing professionals.
Register for the conference today and save 30% with the code TALENTNEXT30.
In June of 2000, the combative Durk Jager resigned as CEO of Procter & Gamble after a tenure that had lasted only seventeen months. When he left P&G, its stock had declined 50 percent, it had lost $320 million in the most recent quarter, half of its brands were losing market share, and the firm was struggling with morale problems.
The prevalence and extreme nature of star systems in organizations today contribute to widespread employee disconnection and disengagement, particularly among core employees.
Employees can be regarded as stars, core employees, or strugglers. Stars are superior performers. They are either a part of senior management or on track to move up the organization’s hierarchy. Core employees are valuable contributors but not stars. Strugglers perform poorly, some for temporary reasons and others because they may not fit well in their roles or with the organization.
