If you’re reading this blog, I bet your answer to the question is “yes, we do care about our people.”
Often, there is a disconnect between how employers think they show their employees they care about them, versus how employees perceive their employer cares about them.
HOW EMPLOYEES FEEL THEY’RE CARED FOR
According to a Gallup study, prior to COVID-19, about 25% of employees strongly agreed that their employer cares about their overall well-being. Then at the onset of the pandemic in 2020, employers responded quickly with a plan, communication, and what many employees believed was genuine concern for them, their work, and their lives. The percentage who felt cared about nearly doubled, reaching a high of 49% in May of that year. However, it was short lived. Since 2021, the perception has plummeted to the previous low levels (24%).
This finding is critical for organizations. Check out these stats:
A SOLUTION TO WELL-BEING?
Gallup found patterns in organizations that consistently improved their cultures-- even during the tumultuous last two years. Some of these patterns include:
- Focusing on employee well-being and acknowledging the whole person.
Since work and life are blended for many, consider the demands of life inside and out of the workplace. Consider career, social, financial, physical, and community wellbeing impacts and resources. - Tailoring communication to reach teams where they are.
Transparent and creative omni-channel communication to employees and customers is more likely to reach and resonate with a wide variety of people in many different work-life situations. - Teaching managers to lead through tapping into people’s strengths. Enabling managers to manage through times of change with their immediate teams.
Consistently upskill managers to coach their employees through their strengths. Every person has a different work-life situation and only managers can understand these nuances and make adjustments based on how each person is wired, how they best perform, collaborate, and bring value to customers.
There is only so much People leaders can control. One thing is for sure though: by investing in solutions that support their employees’ whole selves, companies are not only investing in their employees, but are also investing in their own future.
Bonus Video: Meet Scott, one of our top Guides.
By Stephan Vincent, Sr. Director of Workplace Experience, LifeGuides
Building amazing company cultures centered around purpose, people-first mindset, human experience, and ❤️ for one another to optimize team performance
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