The right culture is everything. It determines employee happiness, productiveness and engagement. It allows you to attract and retain high performers. A strong culture motivates employees to give it their all and impacts consumer attitudes toward your brand.
But here’s the thing—culture isn’t static. As the world changes, and as attitudes change along with it, cultures must shift in response. Workplace trends expert Rick Grimaldi and author of “FLEX: A Leader’s Guide to Staying Nimble and Mastering Transformative Change in the American Workplace,” believes culture is everything.
We sat down with him to get his take on today’s new workplace culture:
How would you describe the workplace culture of the future?
I think of it as a patchwork quilt. So many disparate pieces are having to come together so quickly, and the result is sort of dizzying. We have this sudden immersion into remote work. We have amazing technological advances. We have massive social and political changes that are reshaping workplace policies and employee attitudes. We have a huge spectrum of generations and ages working together. All these factors, and more, are transforming cultures. Leaders need to understand and respond creatively to all of these factors if they’re to attract talent and succeed.
What are the biggest shifts you’ve seen over the past 15 months?
Obviously, the biggest change has been where employees do their jobs. Remote work in some fashion is here to stay. As a result of the social movements of the last year, good employers are more attuned to the importance of social responsibility. Another big one I’d pinpoint is a focus on psychological wellness. The pandemic has taken a major toll on employees’ mental and emotional well-being. It’s now become obvious this is a space that employers do need to get involved in—that’s a major shift from the hands-off approach companies used to take.
What can a company do to shape a culture that creates a competitive advantage?
You start by knowing what potential employees want. It may be the flexibility to work remotely. Studies show Millennials and Gen Z-ers have a strong preference for good work-life integration, and they’ve gotten used to working this way over the last year and a half.
As an employer, you may realize that being fully remote doesn’t work for a particular position, but that doesn’t mean you can’t work out a hybrid arrangement or that you can’t let people adjust start and stop times. Solutions have to work for both parties. Companies can no longer just say, “This is how it is here.” They have to say, “Here are our needs but we want to meet your needs too.”
Also, today’s job candidates want to see a workplace that reflects the cultural norms they have come to know. Winning organizations build in rules and systems to remove inherent bias and promote healthy and flexible workplaces where diversity can thrive by embracing a multitude of genders, races, sexual orientations, religions, and disabilities.
In general, businesses must stay nimble, flex and embrace not only the disruption of the pandemic but the inevitable and rapid change that is still to come. The market will reward them.
What challenges come with a hybrid workplace?
People sometimes ask me, “Can it really work to have some employees at home and some in the office? What about having different employees toggling between home and office on different days?” My answer is, yes, it can work, but it’s certainly not easy. Leaders need to get very deliberate about meeting the challenges that pop up. Strong hybrid cultures can be tricky to get right. They require a different way of thinking about leadership.
For example, you have to create conditions that replicate those cool “happenstance” moments of collaboration or breakthrough that occur at the coffee machine or in the hallway. It’s harder for magic like this to happen when half the team is at home. You’ve also got to make sure working mothers and other employees who are in the office less don’t become second-class citizens. These are solvable problems, though, and hybridism is here to stay—so really, you have no choice but to work them out.
What are the keys to prioritizing employee engagement?
The big factors are an emphasis on communication, regular interaction and complete transparency. I’d say another big one is getting intentional about creating a sense of belonging. When you have a workplace that’s a mix of generations, races and cultures, men and women, and LGBTQ individuals, you must move beyond diversity and inclusion. You must move toward what DEI expert Tristan Higgins calls, “metaclusivity.” You need to cultivate a true sense of belonging. Feeling that they belong is what gets people engaged and allows them to do their best work.
How do leaders get everyone aligned working toward the same goals?
Leaders and businesses that flex recognize the key to getting everyone on the same page is to have them feel invested in the workplace. This can occur through mentoring between more seasoned and less experienced teammates and by constantly providing a seat at the table. The old command and control mindset is gone, and good riddance! An organization that seeks active input from all levels of an organization is a much stronger, more engaged one.
Can a company truly change its culture?
Of course. It’s all about being sensitive to trends; keeping your finger on the pulse of employee needs, preferences, and attitudes; and responding quickly and appropriately. It’s not easy. You have to be intentional and relentless about it. You have to stay open to constantly learning. But your culture is everything, so if you want to stay viable into a rapidly shifting, and ultimately unforeseeable future, you have to be willing to flex.
Comentarios