Employees’ needs for connection and well-being is something that businesses need to address and nurture for employees to feel valued in the workplace.
Change is inevitable, something that the Covid-19 pandemic taught has taught us all too well. As with the great attrition, it has been proven that employees are constantly quitting their jobs and changing their careers due to a lack of authentic connection to the business.
Some of the most common feelings that drive this change are grief, exhaustion, and burnout. Employees wish to be treated as an individual, and not just a number. Businesses need to be aware of this change and understand why their employees may feel this way.
One way in which businesses can address this issue is through adaptability. They need to implement ways in which to learn flexibly and find ways to apply knowledge across various situations. Adaptability can help boost well-being, turn challenges into learning opportunities, and will help to build an environment where relationships can be nurtured and allow them to thrive.
Adaptability works and drives results at four distinct levels:
Individual
When employees plan to leave their current job, there are two very important factors that become extremely important to them, namely the urgent need to restore their work-life balance and having the opportunity to make time for their physical and emotional well-being. Incorporating adaptability into the workplace will assist in reducing burnout by adopting healthy habits when under pressure, which will help employees to better deal with and cope with challenges.
Interpersonal
Employees tend to also leave their jobs when they feel that their manager is not valuing them, as well as not feeling a sense of belonging. Adaptability helps people to be vulnerable and empathetic towards others in the workplace, which ultimately increases the ability to show compassion through leadership and rather turn challenging interpersonal situations into opportunities to build strong, trusting relationships. It allows for greater authenticity and will normalize the true importance of quality work relationships.
Team
Employees who changed their mind and decided to remain at their job because they felt that they were able to work with people who showed trust and care for one another. The level of trust people has within the workplace directly contributes to the perception of psychological safety. The safer employees feel, the better their ability to deal with stress as they feel supported during those tough times. This will improve an employees’ overall sense of belonging and engagement.
Organizational
Employees want to feel valued. Organizational adaptability is the ultimate reinforcer for all of these levels as it contributes towards an overall sense of identity and distinctive culture for employees. This is what helps employees truly thrive in uncertain and challenging situations, leading to a sense of belonging. Building an adaptability program within the business should reflect a people-first message and should empower employees to improve their relationships and well-bring in the workplace.
All of this starts with leaders recognizing that they need to deal with change in a graceful manner. There should be multiple key influencers within the business so that there is a more direct team impact throughout.
During large-scale change programs, the reach and consistency of the change story impact the speed at which employees can properly adopt and sustain new behaviours. In addition, the use of a skill-building program that can reflect individual employee development can enhance effectiveness.
Overall, adaptability is the key to successfully equipping employees with the necessary skills to boost their well-being and enrich relationships within the workplace.
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This article was originally published on:
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-organization-blog/the-great-attrition-the-power-of-adaptability
