Monthly Focus on Employee Engagement and Employee Communications
At The Big Picture People, we’re passionate about employee engagement and communication in the workplace, and keep a more-than-keen eye on news, current thinking, and future developments that affect the way we all work.
We’ve condensed the most provocative, insightful and interesting news and blogs that we’ve read from the past month into this article. You can find out:
- While most employees want to feel part of something, and long to belong, as many as half don’t know or understand what their companies stand for or represent. The level of disengagement depends on several factors, including age and marital status. Millennials are the group that is most concerned about work/life balance.
- What might happen if you reduced your company’s working week to just four days? That’s exactly what a company in New Zealand did. The results were staggering, with all metrics of engagement improving. The results were so good, that Perpetual Guardian adopted the policy on a long-term basis.
- People want to belong to something, especially when it comes to work. It is no longer enough to differentiate on pay and benefits. Your employees want to identify with the team, leader, brand and organisation.
- What ‘belonging’ means to employees, and the areas in which it affects people. However, know what belonging means is only the first step. To reap the benefits of a better engaged workforce, you need to know how to create the sense of belonging that drives motivation, commitment, and pride in work.
- As the world of business is transformed by digitisation, organisations are beginning to realise that successful transformation requires engagement and commitment by employees. Digital transformation is not just about technology, it’s about people, processes, competencies and culture since these keep businesses running.To access each story below, just click on the headline.
We hope they help to inform and inspire, and perhaps provide discussion ideas for your next team huddle. If there’s anything we’ve missed or a topic you’d like us to tackle for you, please get in touch.
This is the Kind of Workplace Employees Across the World Want
Seven in 10 workers consider their job an important part of their identity, and almost nine in 10 ‘long to belong’. These are just two of the key numbers from research by Zeno Group. They surveyed more than 4,500 employees and found that between 30% and 54% of employees don’t know what their company stands for or represents. (Find out more)
What happened when a company let everyone work 4-days a week for the SAME money?
IN New Zealand, Perpetual Guardian trialled a four-day working week for all its employees. Employees were paid the same money, with no loss of holiday entitlement, to work one day less each week. The results were stunning. Staff stress levels dropped 16%, work-life balance improved 44% and staff commitment, stimulation, empowerment and leadership scores all improved. Now the trial has become a permanent benefit of working at the firm. (Find out more)
Want committed employees? Try helping them to belong
“The world of work is changing rapidly and we are seeing increasing numbers of professionals choose to become contractors or work remotely. For businesses, creating a committed workforce in today’s rapidly changing and digitalised environment requires the development of a social contract which doesn’t only include pay and benefits, but also provides pride, purpose, mastery, and a sense of belonging.” The conclusion of a study titled ‘Creating a committed workforce: Using social exchange and social identity to enhance psychological attachment within an ever-changing workplace’. (Find out more)
Creating a sense of belonging in the workplace
How do business leaders ensure their employees feel a sense of belonging in the workplace? Why is a sense of belonging important?A survey conducted by Culture Amp and Paradigm found that a sense of belonging is closely connected to motivation, commitment, pride, and generally having a positive attitude towards work.Here are six tips to help business leaders ensure their employees feel a sense of belonging in the workplace. (Find out more)
Digital transformation requires more than just new technology
Digital transformation has been a priority for businesses for many years, primarily to benefit from the opportunities presented by a mix of digital technologies and their impact across all aspects of society. Customer-facing functions such as sales, and marketing and procurement, have led the way on digital transformation, while HR has historically taken a back seat. But for the entire organisation undergoing transformation to work together holistically, HR needs to take the lead and embed a digital DNA within the organisation. (Find out more)
We hope you find these stories informative, and please feel free to share this article with your colleagues and wider network. Once again, if there’s anything we’ve missed or a topic you’d like us to include in future digests, please get in touch.
