Workplace Humanization Arrives

How has business leadership transformed? Quite simply, leaders today have a newfound focus on “humanity,” and the need to be more talent-oriented to thrive during uncertain times. During the height of the pandemic, there was no separation between how leadership and employees experienced this global event. Everyone went through it together and had similar fears, anxiety, and concern for others. Many leaders recognized this fact and rebooted their workplaces by retaining employee flexibility and remote/hybrid models once the world started to normalize.

Bridging of Human and Skills-Based Objectives

Along with the humanization of the workplace, the need for skills-based talent became apparent as well. The criticality of enterprise agility, flexibility, and business continuity is now a central part of talent acquisition strategies. It is no longer about filling a job role, but rather hiring candidates that bring specific skills and competencies while also being a good cultural match. Business leaders today actively bridge the human aspect with skills-based execution. Understanding, for example, the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of the cultural fabric, leaders have integrated DE&I into hiring and operational objectives.

Business Leadership Evolves

The Future of Work Exchange and Ardent Partners have identified five ways business leadership is evolving.

Inclusivity Is Paramount

93% of business leaders state that they are focusing leadership efforts on developing and cultivating a more inclusive workplace culture. Not only does this invoke a sense of belonging within the workforce, but it can enhance brand reputation when promoted on recruitment portals and in the media. More job candidates are seeking employment with enterprises that place a premium on inclusivity.

Providing Purpose

Over the next 12 months, nearly 70% of business leaders plan to develop a vision and plan for making work more purposeful across the organization for its total workforce. In his Fast Company article, Raj Indupuri, CEO of digital clinical software and service provider eClinical Solutions, said it’s critical to have leadership goals that all employees can align with. “In my experience, it’s more enjoyable to come to work when surrounded by others who are equally passionate about your purpose.”

A Focus on Well-Being

Throughout 2023, nearly 75% of executive leaders anticipate enhancing the ways the business improves worker well-being and mental health. While the impacts of the pandemic have subsided, the emotional effects continue to linger. Monitor employee well-being and mental health through surveys and regular one-on-one check-ins with team members. Such feedback is crucial to identifying employees who may require specific mental health services or programs.

Empathy-Driven Leadership

Today, 65% of executives include empathy in their management styles, which reflects a flexibility-driven approach to leveraging more humanity in how they lead. This can lead to more open communication between employees and leadership, as well as a greater comfort level in presenting ideas that could result in untapped innovation.

The Conscious Leader

Over the past year, 73% of executives have moved towards more of a “conscious leadership” approach, which centers around the understanding of worker perspectives, emotions, and concerns. Conscious leadership brings the human aspect of leadership management full circle.

Is the current business leadership transformation sustainable? The outlook is hopeful. By modeling and promoting such behaviors as empathy, conscious leadership, and a focus on DE&I principles, it unifies the workforce to not only adopt those approaches but also hold business leaders accountable. That accountability will help sustain the Future of Work ideals and continue the evolution of an employee-centric workplace.

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I firmly remember interviewing a potential editorial candidate while one such tournament was occurring. “Seems like a fun place to work,” she noted as she looked past the conference room window at the smiles and laughs of my team members. “Sure is,” I said, before moving onto the next stage of the interview.

Ten years ago, a foosball table was enough to reflect a positive work culture to a potential employee. Today, it wouldn’t even come close to cutting it.

“Culture” must be considered a foundational element of the Future of Work movement, with business leaders doing all that they can to ensure that the enterprise comes across as being inclusive, positive, engaging, and a “destination workplace” that is alluring to candidates. “The Great Resignation,” as much as we may loathe the phrase, is a real and viable force that is actively pushing organizations to reimagine their talent acquisition strategies.

Even though culture was important before and during the pandemic, it takes on a different meaning today, considering that: 1) with the Omicron surge beginning to subside, business leaders are finally going to structure more in-office days for its workforce, 2) millions of workers, part of the “Talent Revolution,” are seeking more than just better compensation if they are going to return to work in 2022, and, 3) the harsh reality of talent retention today is this: it’s going to take a lot more for businesses to hang onto its top-tier talent throughout the coming months.

The following elements of culture prove why it’s such a critical piece of the Future of Work puzzle:

• A company’s business culture is inevitably linked to the company’s brand. Company brand has often been more associated with finding and engaging talent, however, what many leaders forget is that “culture” and “brand” are symbiotically linked in a very profound manner. Is the company culture known for advancement opportunities, an inclusive attitude, and consistent engagement between leaders and workers? These are incredibly crucial aspects that traverse from culture into brand, with workers understand that if these attributes don’t line up, it won’t be worth their time and energy to apply for an open position. Poor business culture can weigh down how the enterprise “looks” from an external perspective; today, that can be crippling in the wake of The Great Resignation.
• The proliferation of remote and hybrid work means workplace culture is more important, not less. Business leaders have to understand that it’s not March 2020 anymore. Remote and hybrid work are not reactive strategies, but rather foundational approaches for optimizing how work is done. Therefore, these leaders must translate in-office culture and its benefits to those working tens or hundreds of miles away. Remote workers don’t require annoying oversight, but rather empathetic and role-based support in order to thrive in digital working conditions. There’s a major difference between a robotic, “going-through-the-motions” 1:1 video call and a discussion on how a professional can grow, thrive, and succeed. If all business leaders adopted this approach, there would be less of a hesitancy to adopt fully-remote or heavy-hybrid models.
• Overall enterprise vision is a pure reflection of its overall culture. This doesn’t just mean “make lots of money,” but rather the purpose of the overall organization and what it wants to prove, provide, and produce for the global market. Business leaders that truly want to change their industries begin that journey within, choosing to formulate management styles that are inclusive, empathetic, and promote innovation within the workforce ranks. Want to change the world? It starts with internal business culture.
• The old adage of “experience first” is still quite applicable. The talent experience is still paramount in today’s hyper-competitive labor market. Everything from the tactical aspects of talent acquisition, such as interviewing, onboarding, etc., and the more strategic elements, like communication and collaboration, goes a long in fostering a workplace culture that is positive and engaging for candidates as they embark on their journeys.
• Culture is now naturally aligned with the way(s) work gets done. This is perhaps the most powerful attribute of “culture” in today’s business landscape. Workers crave an environment that aligns with their purpose, their goals, their energy, their attitude, their believes, their values, and their journeys. They are going to give as much as they can if an employer can meet most or all of those elements. Business culture permeates across functions, units, leaders, and its workforce; if enterprises are keen on thriving in 2022, they will understand that the very ways they get work done are directly aligned with the overall culture of its workplace.

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