Employers are increasingly focusing on enhancing their recruitment and retention strategies, which ultimately fosters a deeper connection with their workforce. This approach often opens a myriad of opportunities for leaders, allowing them to truly understand the thoughts and aspirations of the individuals within their organization. Insights from OneDigital’s Employee Value Perception Study reveal that what employees value in their careers significantly varies based on their current career and life stages.
What individuals value at any given point throughout their life is inherently personal and, in an effort, to harness this insight, employers need to begin to recognize the alignment between helping their business grow and helping their people grow.
As noted in a recent McKinsey & Company article, “People need to be at their best to do their work, but what that means is different for everyone. Employee experience is more than engagement; it is an individual experience. It includes how employees feel about their jobs and the growth opportunities available at their organization; their well-being, including energy levels and burnout; and the purpose behind their work.”
Championing Professional Development and Building Trust
Managers play a pivotal role in championing personal and professional development in the workplace. While many organizations claim that employee engagement is a top priority, defining what that means and aligning it with the hearts and minds of their employees can often be two different things. Leaders frequently discuss employee engagement, but what does it truly entail? It’s this simple: Are employees doing their best work and closer to living their best life or at least on a path to get there? That’s personal. There is an undeniable emotional connection between employers and their people. I think there needs to be a very intentional effort to define and align that strategy to employee value drivers and build trust through the process. Building trust takes time, but managers can begin by setting clear expectations and aligning those with their employees. By connecting each employee’s purpose with the company’s mission, managers can foster a sense of shared goals. If the company’s mission isn’t resonating, consider creating a team mission together to unite everyone under a common purpose. Once a month, make it a point to talk to employees about their development aspirations or open their performance review and review what development plans you created together. As managers and leaders, we should work to give employees the opportunities they seek whenever possible. For example, when giving them a task or project, discuss the reasons why you are giving them this task or project and outline the areas they might develop through the process. Every few months, ask them these three simple questions: What’s working? What’s not working? What can we (manager/employee) help move to make work easier or how can we work together better?
This allows for open dialogue both ways, and we managers must listen to the answers and work to help our employees. When we ask questions and listen, it allows employees to feel safe in sharing what would help them be their best, then our job is to work to help them. Once trust is earned, then the option for giving constructive feedback is possible to help employees to learn and grow. Coaching and feedback are crucial for helping employees stay on course. Managers should have regular one-on-ones, focusing on how employees can improve and grow using the company values as a guidepost.
The recent Employee Value Perception survey identified direct management, meaningful work and career advancement as key factors influencing employee satisfaction by demographic. It pinpoints what matters most to employees and aids in enhancing the messaging and connection between organizations and their people. When leaders gain clarity on what is valued and learn to connect the employee’s work to the value of what they are learning and to the value of the organization as a whole, then employers will observe a positive transformation in the workplace. This transformation will drive both personal and professional growth within teams, ultimately fueling business success. One way to achieve this is by empowering employees to take ownership of projects that align with their values, skills, and growth ambitions, fostering a deeper sense of purpose. Autonomy in choosing tasks or initiatives related to their strengths and career goals can encourage them in their own development and results in further investments in the success of these initiatives.
A leader’s job is to help employees feel as empowered as possible to do their best work and live their best lives in an integrated and blended way. It is no longer one or the other (work vs. personal life); we have now firmly blended work and personal life together and the best leaders give the employees grace and understanding to weave both of these parts of themselves into their life. When leaders do this, they are extending trust, and trust is the very foundation of a high-performing organization.
As a training professional, encourage your leaders to pause and think, “how can I create trust with my employees?” It may be by asking curious, humble, open-ended questions, and then truly listening to the answers and working to support team members the best that you can. When leaders do this, they are sending the signal that they are building trust with their employees; that their voices have been heard, and that their opinion is valued. When employees feel valued, they become more committed to their roles, their teams and the projects they contribute to. They’ll collaborate effectively and model the positive behaviors you’ve demonstrated, creating a ripple effect that benefits the entire business.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the success of the business is directly tied to the growth and development of each individual employee. Fostering that growth is key to driving long-term success.
