Let’s start off on the right foot
How do you spell love? You don’t spell love. You feel it.” – Piglet and Pooh.
The skinny
Surveys reveal that employees expect employers to take a stand on social issues more than ever before.
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Like what?
Well, to name a few: climate change, the BLM protests and most recently, the riots at the Capitol last week. In fact, some organizations have even halted political donations due to mounting pressure to take a stand now, like today.
IYKYK
Exactly, now you know. And employers should know too. Many employees have previously said they will leave or bypass an organization that doesn’t fit their values or refuse to stand up to defend those values. And before you clutch your pearls, this isn’t new.
It’s not?
Nope. It’s been steadily growing in importance for the last 15 years and will continue to grow with the rise of the WFH/digital revolution.
To do: take a stand.
Yes, gone are the days when your to-do list only had: run businesses. Now, it’s important to not only think about what your corporate social responsibility policy is but also think about what you’ll do if those values are “called.”
Ok, call.
I see your social networks and raise you the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). This organization represents more than 14,000 employers and has connections to the outgoing Trump administration. However, NAM minced no words on 1/6/21 and called on #VPence to invoke the 25th.
Swifter than T-Swift.
Yes, faster than her second album release, some companies even moved to publicly terminate employees identified in photos and videos from the Capitol mayhem. So, it’s not just about writing your values on corporate letterhead but putting your money where your mouth is if those values are challenged.
But, what about waiting?
Sorry friend but waiting this out as a “trend” that will fade won’t be cute. Much like the revival of scrunchies and Star Wars characters, the pressure to take a stand won’t be going away anytime soon.
Totes quotes: "If you don’t acknowledge the emotional and psychological impact on your staff, during a crisis, then you will not be prepared to address the implications that has for your bottom line.” -J. Christopher Hamilton, assistant professor at S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
Further reading: 10 CSR Trends to Watch in 2021
The skinny
The pandemic is far from over, but empathetic leadership can be a clear path towards recovery and healing.
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Healing!?
Sure, it feels like 2021 is just 2020 in a trench coat but hear me out. It’s not going to happen overnight, but once the critical mass of vaccination efforts results in herd immunity the spread will slow down and hopefully, stop.
Sorry. This hope ship has sailed.
Hear you. Even with an emerging solution to the current situation at hand, many of us are feeling stranded, on a ship with no sugar, tea or rum. But that’s where empathy comes in. It’s vital with so much going on in the beginning of the year that organizations double down on empathetic leadership.
Double down?
First, take stock of what you’ve done so far and see how well it’s worked. For example: how are your employees responding to your latest pandemic policies? Take comfort in the fact that all of us have been in this state for a while and have learned the impacts and unique challenges this situation has unearthed. This hard-earned foundation of knowledge can help build a better, more resilient organization
How tho?
Well, organizational empathy is different than interpersonal empathy (although that’s a pretty good trait to have too). Organizational empathy is an expression of how the organization views and supports employees. This can be expressed specifically through values-based benefits like: workplace flexibility, caregiving and volunteerism. Also, don’t forget about those core benefits like financial support, which may become more important as 2021 advances.
Totes quotes: “Difficult situations reveal why empathy is important in leadership, and crises like COVID-19 drive the lesson home. Teams led by people who possess high emotional intelligence tend to work hard and persevere through rough patches. They also develop deeper bonds of trust, which are essential when employment statuses seem all too fragile.” – Krister Ungerboeck
The skinny
A new approach to management is emerging where employees have more say in their own development.
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New approach?
Yeah, shakin’ it up just like Lady Whistledown, author Matt Casey calls his approach, “lazy management” and says changing the job, instead of changing the manager is the best solution.
Explain.
Well, for example, taking some things off your plate and giving them to employees like performance reviews, raises and vacations.
Real world example: Previously, Casey was tasked with rating employees between 1 and 5 and distributing money accordingly. But with the “lazy approach” Casey assigned everyone a 3 by default. He told the team to talk to him if they thought they deserved a higher number. In his experiment, everyone on his team got the raise and number they deserved because they had to make a case for their work.
So, laziness is the answer?
Um, maybe. Giving a certain amount of freedom and flexibility is a good thing. But, and that’s a big but, managers need to keep communication and check-ins top of mind as many employees who would normally knock on your door to chat about their career/hopes/fears etc. can’t anymore.
Quality over quantity.
Exactly. A recent survey found that while casual communication may be reduced right now, the quality of interactions has improved. 66% of employees said they received honest feedback from their managers and 67% say their managers have good communication skills.
Not Fun Fact: The survey found that 20% of employees and 54% of managers think their relationships have worsened since the start of the pandemic.
But this is a fun one: Employees have noticed their managers have implemented new positive habits during the pandemic and 45% reported their manager has offered more encouragement than before.
Further reading: Are Peer Reviews the Future of Performance Evaluations?
 Now a break from the news… |
 Compliance Corner |
Here’s something to…
- Play: Miss going to the theater?
- Read: 2021 brings minimum wage hikes
- Woof down: Ben & Jerry’s have a treat for your puppup.
- Organize: Your kitchen has probably been getting a workout.
- Watch: Pop in a new way.
- Google: Is this a true story?
- Explain: Wellerman #seashanty (aka rum link above).
- Sniff: Looking for your lost scent?
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Social Corner
Benefits Pulse at a glance
The numbers have leveled out again.
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