The pandemic forced all of us to face reality that life is short. Coming to grips with that reality ushered in the demand to spend our lives focused on what matters to us the most. Since much of our waking hours are spent on work, aligning personal and workplace values is no longer optional.
The pandemic has revealed some essential truths about whether people in leadership positions lead with their head, or also authentically with their heart. The word “crisis” is an excuse being used to throw out the window good communication and leadership styles in favor of forced top-down decisions.
As a result, people at large are fed up with being forced to do things that don’t align with their personal values. People are rising in discontent and voting with their feet. 4.3 million resignations in August are the start of a very painful journey for workplaces across the nation. Top-down, command and control, and leadership-by-lip service is about to pay the piper through a lack of workforce.
The time is now to sincerely reassess organizational leadership and values in earnest. Is your leadership style and organizational culture a true “people first,” also known as human centric? People first is not just a buzz word but a demand. If you want people to produce goods and services then pay attention… people must come first over politics, profits, and pet projects.
If you haven’t yet, start this journey now before it’s too late and there is no one left to help you run your business.
Here are 3 mission critical steps to take:
1. Does your organization have core values?
Core values are beliefs by which you operate every minute of every day. It is the foundation by which you make decisions. It is more than a branding statement. It is what is used to describe your commitment to what it’s like to work in your organizational culture and attract talent that have similar values.
2. If you have core values, do your leaders know what they are and model them sincerely?
True core values are more than a poster but are practiced. They are at their best when sincerely demonstrated especially in difficult times. Many organizations today may have had core values such as “integrity”, “trust”, “compassion” but then have shifted in their commitment to those words in the eyes of the employees with top-down forced decisions without employee involvement. Now protests, resignations, and sick-out are a result.
If your organization took a wrong path, it’s not too late to fix it. It’s time to make your values mean something. Bite the bullet and right the wrong. As leaders, apologize and re-commit to your stated values. Reverse past decisions, put safeguards in place to make ensure a “people first” commitment. Get your employees involved in the process.
3. Hire new talent aligned with values to increase your retention
As a 30-year experienced HR leader, I get it that it is easier to hire people solely on experience, pay expectations, and in some cases if they have a pulse. But to fill vacancies today and increase retention that urge must be resisted. In this new era, we must push through and seek employees who have aligned values. Trust me, that is what they are seeking too.
You might ask how can we search for talent based on values?
Companies need engaged talent to continue to operate. Talent needs meaningful work that enable them to enjoy life to its fullest. In this new era, that connection can and must now happen through matching values.
The types of values we loudly hear about today include:
- Remote work – work from home indefinitely
- Hybrid – a mix of working from home and visits to on-site premises
- No vaccine required – the protests and pending litigation makes it clear about the desires of the workforce
- Faith-based culture – workplaces that exist for a higher spiritual purpose
- Flexible schedules – People need the flexibility to participate in life activities without guilt
- Transparent leadership – Being approachable and truthful in words and deeds consistently
- Supportive supervisors – This goes without saying
- USA made products or services – The time to support our country in a very real way is now
- Casual dress code – to some this is important, others may not. But it goes to the tune of flexibility
- Organizational stability – People want to join a successful sailing ship versus the Titanic
- Work-life balance – This is important now more than ever
- Career advancement opportunities – the desire to grow has never changed pandemic or not
- Ethical employer – The truth will be known, and people want to be a part of ethical causes
- Diverse and inclusive team – True diversity teaches embracing different ideas versus excluding people based on superficial labels
- Non-woke environment – Love thy neighbor as opposed to hate
- Meaningful work – Moving “work” to “purpose”
There is no time to waste. People are making their move to focus on what matters the most. Are you ready to embrace this new era? As we say in HR C-Suite, it’s time to ROAR!
Having trouble filling vacancies? I can help.
I can provide a customized 7-point analysis on your competitive positioning for attracting and retaining talent. Click here for more information or go to: http://www.hrcsuite.com/company-culture-design/
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