To call the exodus of employees from the workforce the “Great Resignation” is an oversimplification. As employers, we must recognize why employees are leaving their jobs and re-evaluate our strategies for retaining talent. A recent article by The World Economic Forum describes this period as the Great Reflection and highlights the increasing need for employers to build joy at work.
Women, in particular, have been exiting the workforce at astonishing levels. Rocki Howard, a friend of CXR and the Chief People and Equity Officer at The Mom Project said earlier this year,
Many recognize the voluntary exit of employees as The Great Resignation; I believe this is The Great Recalibration. Women are reassessing their roles in their families, communities, and companies, and they want different options, better treatment, and recognition for their work as mothers.
To understand why employers should focus on building joy at work, let’s start with the data behind it. A 2018 survey by Kearney found that roughly 90% of respondents expect to experience a high level of joy at work, but only 37% of those respondents had that need met. In 2021, they repeated the survey and unsurprisingly found that the joy gap had grown even wider.
How can leaders work to close the joy gap in their organizations? Here’s what The World Economic Forum suggests.
Focus on your organization’s purpose. Empower your employees to truly know and understand your organization’s purpose and how their work makes an impact.
With the pandemic, social connection at work took a hard hit. So whether your teams are back in the office, remote, or a mix of both, you should focus on ways to build more connections within your teams. The article notes, “Try adding an interactive element: build true apprentice-based teams, work on tasks together – physically or in hybrid mode – exploit small opportunities to rejuvenate broader rapport and one-to-one connections.”
Finally, provide your employees with the praise they deserve and need. Make this positive feedback specific, authentic, and a regular occurrence.
At CXR, we’ve been chatting a lot about optimizing success in this new way of working. Check out last month’s Lecture with Line Mørkbak on how to feel connected when working from home. Then, join us on June 23 for a CXR Lecture with Kilian Wawoe on managing stress in teams. Our podcast has some great episodes too… check out this one with Mark Lobosco on reinventing one’s culture.
Read the full World Economic Forum article here.
