I am excited to announce that I am speaking at The Kevin Eikenberry Group’s virtual event, Virtual LeaderCon. This is a free online event that brings together me and 30 of the world’s top leadership experts talking about the most pressing and emerging leadership and learning topics.
I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed again by Pat Farnack, longtime radio host on WCBS Newsradio 880 in New York City.
In the middle of the “Great Resignation,” companies are struggling to attract and retain employees. Studies show that negative emotions in the workplace have been rising. These negative emotions make people less enthusiastic about returning to work and incentivized to seek a more positive experience elsewhere. In our conversation, Pat and I discussed strategies that organizations can use to create a more positive culture that connects and ultimately retains employees.
Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash
As a growing percentage of the workforce seeks new career opportunities, employee retention has become a major issue facing organizations today. Addressing financial compensation is important, particularly for those lower income workers whose wages have remained largely stagnant, but addressing emotional compensation is another component all organizations need to consider.
The current labor shortage and employee retention are concerning issues for organizations. Many leaders are scrambling to attract and retain the workers they need. A combination of factors has resulted in an insufficient number of workers to meet available jobs: job quits hitting historic highs, declining immigration, and fewer individuals who are of working age (16-64 years old). This labor shortage started before the Covid-19 pandemic and is expected to persist for some time.
Are you and your team preparing to return to the office after more than a year of remote work?
Recently, I had the opportunity to be interviewed by the talented team at IE Insights, IE University’s thought leadership publication for sharing knowledge on a variety of topics. I shared some insights on what managers can expect from employees based on the similar experiences NASA astronauts encounter when re-entering society after time in space.
Check out the approximately 5 minute video for a quick summary of what to watch for and how building a connection culture can ease the transition.
The decision to bring employees back to the office is one facing many organizations. But what type of workplace environment are employees returning to? Is it a healthy or unhealthy workplace culture? The answer has important implications for whether employees will be willing to return.
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.