According to DDI, the leadership priorities for 2022 rank as follows:
- Employee Wellbeing
- The Great Resignation
- Reskilling
- Automation
- Employee Experience
- Digital Transformation
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
- Remote Work
- HR Analytics
- Ethics
That it’s all about people, more than ever before, is glaringly obvious. The age-old conflict between employers wishing to pay as little as they can to get as much effort as they can, thankfully seems to have been displaced. One may speculate whether employers have to care by necessity, or whether corporate thought processes have finally realized that happy people produce more and better. Part of the change may very well be because hands are being forced to retain top talent, and to replace talent through reskilling is a noble but time-consuming process.
Automation plays an important role in improving employee wellbeing and experience, as it can replace tasks that are repetitive and boring. It’s no fluke that it makes the list.
The importance of employee well-being cannot be overstated. As leaders, it must always be at the top of our lists. Simply put, we are all human, no matter our heritage, gender or any other unique characteristics. I am privileged to have lived and worked in three countries, have visited many more, and worked with people of all corners of the world. My big takeaway is that all people want more or less the same things. Once one gets past the basic physical needs, everyone wants to feel like they are accomplishing something meaningful, and receive validation.
So what can we as leaders do? It goes without saying that we should have loads of empathy. Listen and understand, and make brave decisions that put the person first. Here are my top 5 things to consider as a leader when it comes to employee well-being:
- Know the person and their circumstances. If you are leading a large team, help your managers develop skills that will enhance their ability to communicate with the intent to know their people. In addition to getting the download from your managers, meet as many of your team as possible to not talk about work.
- Ensure a balanced workload. Coming from the professional services world, this is sometimes hard, but definitely achievable through proper planning, staffing and prioritization. Look for signs of disengagement and frustration, and immediately take action. Respect personal time as sacred.
- Share advice and personal experiences on how to enable self-care. Ultimately, we have to regard our own validation as the most important type of validation, and our teams need to hear that while we are proud of them and thrilled with the outcomes they facilitated, it’s more important to look in the mirror and be proud of the person looking back.
- As an organization or team, enabling cultures of trust, transparency and people first, helps reduce stress in our teams. In addition, consistent and aligned leadership, with well-organized functional operations, removes uncertainty and enables empowerment.
- Be ready to help. This isn’t lunchtime yoga or the occasional rest day, however welcome those may be. Individuals need specific help or opportunities to process major life events and mental fatigue. Listen carefully, know the person and their circumstances, and do what is necessary to ensure their well-being.
In these times of uncertainty with war, disease, social upheaval and economic uncertainty hovering over all of our heads, we are all affected, and if it impacts us as leaders, how much more does it impact our teams? Be a people person. Be, in the words of Tom Peters, an extreme humanist. Your people are your responsibility. Show them the care, support and empathy they deserve.