A Flourishing Employee in the New World
If you're like the many that I speak to and work regularly, you’re doing a lot of reading about how to transition to a post-COVID workforce.
Here’s what I’ve been telling the companies I’ve been speaking with: the gauntlet has been thrown down as the world emerges from the pandemic cocoon, and everyone is reassessing their life, career, and business existence.
The volcano of the soul has erupted. A lava of questions are flowing fast and furious, as people grapple with the vicissitudes of the pandemic. In the latest 191-page State of the Global Workplace 2021 report, Gallup found that roughly 7 in 10 employees are struggling or suffering, rather than thriving, in their overall lives.
Here’s the bottom line: employee well-being is a strategic imperative.
Employees will no longer be emotional hostages in cultures where they are tolerated rather than activated. They have decided that if they have One Life to Live (OLTL), then they might as well enjoy it mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and financially.
That means if employers are going to hire and retain top talent, understanding how to help employees thrive will need to become part of the strategy.
Thriving employees are good for businesses, too. According to Gallup, thriving employees report significantly fewer health problems: less worry, stress, sadness, depression, and anger, and more hope, happiness, energy, interest, and respect (Gallup 2021).
Here are the trends according to Gallup that are very interesting.
During the previous day...
•41% of employees experienced worry
•43% of employees experienced stress
•24% of employees experienced anger
And employee engagement remains dismally low at 20% globally. Gallup estimates that low engagement costs the global economy US$8.1 trillion.
In order to increase engagement (and ultimately increase profits), you’ll need to understand what your employees need to feel like they’re thriving. To create a workplace that supports employee thriving, offer competitive benefits.
Recently, I gave 27 presentations in a 30-day period in 13 different industries, across the world. On top of investing over 100+hours in interviewing and preparing to share our best thinking, our team decided to evaluate the Fortune 100 Best Places to work, LinkedIn Top 50, and Glassdoor.com to really understand what companies are doing to help their employees flourish.
Here’s what we discovered they offer:
•Flexible Work Arrangements
•Financial Incentives
•Family Friendly Policies
•Healthcare Management
•Upward Mobility
•Empowerment & Trust
•Caring About People
When I look at these key flourishing indicators that are important to employees, I can’t help but think about the virtual interview with Simon Sinek during the SAP’s Sapphire Now Event. Simon said something that still reverberates today:
“The job of a leader is to no longer care about results. The job of a leader is to care about the people that care about the results. The job of the leader is to no longer care about the customer. The job of a leader is to care about the people who care about the customer.” -Simon Sinek
If you are an employer, please know that helping employees flourish is an ontological approach that is intentional, biogenic, and kind.
If you are an employee or in career transition, think about these seven flourishing indicators as need to have vs. nice to have. Rank which ones are your top 3-4 need to have to ensure your happiness and wellbeing
It's time for you to flourish.
Simon T. Bailey has the insight and inspiration to help you find your spark and unleash your brilliance to the world. With more than 30 years of experience, he worked with over 2,000 companies in 50 countries. He has helped countless people find their spark – he will help you finds yours.
www.simontbailey.com
Check out his newest book, Ignite the Power of Women in Your Life: A Guide for Men today.
