Contents
Work well-being
Actions aimed at facilitating a balance between personal and professional life or relationships with colleagues and leaders who rely on self-managed teams are some of the keys to workplace well-being in a crisis context
The crisis of coronavirus has highlighted the challenge for companies to keep their employees motivated and engaged so that, in some way, they become the best “ambassadors” for their brand. According to the latest study by the “Welcome to the Jungle” career guidance platform, for most employees the labor welfare it increasingly depends on factors such as the balance between personal and professional life or relationships with colleagues. That is why companies that are worrying about aspects related to life at work (offering a purpose to the worker, proposing new ways of working or improving the conciliation ) are the ones that are actually
working your brand as a “potential employer”. “These types of initiatives translate into improvements in employee motivation and commitment, a more relaxed work environment and even greater efficiency in finding solutions. And, therefore, it is summarized in better indices of productivity for the company in the long term ”, they argue in Welcome to the Jungle.
But to really turn an employee into a kind of ‘ambassador»Of the brand other proposals are necessary, as indicated by the consultant. On the one hand, it would be necessary to analyze the actions carried out in benefit of employees and that could be attractive to potential candidates. “It is not about inventing new measures if they are not necessary, but about checking if the company is consistent with respect to what it promises and what it really offers,” they point out.
And on the other, it would be necessary to have a deep knowledge of the sector in which the company operates and the profile of the employees to establish the proposals that can make a difference. “Depending on the sector it may be that the wage and options crecimiento they are a fundamental point, but it can also happen that the work-life balance (flexible hours) or a specific work policy (4-day weeks or intensive working hours) have more value ”, they explain.
It is also important to know the opinion of employees on the actions that are carried out since satisfaction surveys, in their different formats, can help determine if an initiative has worked and will also provide data to determine the next steps.
Another relevant aspect is the need to convey a message representative of the work environment that is breathed, taking into account that what both employees and candidates value most is the honesty: that what is promised is what is offered.
What kind of leadership is needed?
In complex and crisis situations such as the one we are experiencing is when “good leadership” is needed, as explained by the specialist in work psychology and “motivational speaker” José Miguel Sánchez, who has just published the book “The leader’s journey “, Where he provides the keys that characterize the” good leader. “
Thus, the expert explains that among the different types of people management that we can use, it would be a mistake to fall into “micromanagement”, that is, in that model according to which the boss is all the time on top of his collaborators. “Doing this would go against the performance of the team, since each of the individuals would feel more stressed and, therefore, their contribution to the team would be less,” he clarifies.
In your opinion, it is time to use “Transformative leadership”. It is the one that allows the collaborator to participate in decisions, enables him to take on challenges and puts the focus on the person, in addition to doing so on the professional. In short, a leadership that empowers the employee because he is trusted and, therefore, he is given space to contribute.
It is also the moment for the leader to give responsibility to his team and for it to return that responsibility offered by reaching a few goals jointly established. “To achieve this, it is key to create self-managed teams where everyone knows what to do and where each one carries it out so as not to harm the rest of the members,” he details.
In this scenario, therefore, the boss task It will not be to be behind people so that they work, but to be by their side to facilitate them to give their best. “This situation we are experiencing will portray those leaders who do not adapt or make the best of these new ways of working because they will be left behind, since the future of work is on this path in which we find ourselves,” he argues.
In his opinion, technology, artificial intelligence, ‘big data’, 5G, etc., will allow working remotely to become a reality in a high percentage of companies. “Those who carry it out successfully will have more balanced employees, since they will have more time to devote to those other things that complete them as human beings,” he concludes.