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Déjà Leonard is a copywriter and freelance journalist based in Calgary.
New data from Gallup shows a troubling “red flag” pertaining to remote work.
While employee engagement among U.S. workers over all has seen slight gains, rising to 34 per cent from 32 since last year, remote workers have become less connected to their company in a meaningful way.
“Engagement overall is ticking back up, but with a red flag: Remote workers’ connection to the mission and purpose of their organizations has deteriorated to a record low,” reads the report.
Currently, 28 per cent of employees who work exclusively remotely say they feel connected. This low ties the percentage from 2011.
A generation driven by purpose
This disconnection might not seem like a big deal when people are still getting paid and enjoying the perks of remote work, such as increased flexibility and no commute, but the next generation actually puts purpose high on their list of priorities.
Gen Z, or those born roughly between 1995 and 2010, are beginning to make up even more of our work force.
Research shows they have a deep desire to understand how their work supports their organization’s mission and how the company they work for is making a difference in the world.
With more Gen Z people in the workplace, more remote working available and less sense of connection, how can companies bridge the gap?
Bringing purpose back to remote work
Remote and hybrid work consultant Nola Simon said one of the top challenges with remote work is communication.
“A lot of the communication has to be explicit and it has to be intentional,” she said.
It’s not just communicating to employees about how to do their work efficiently and access the resources they need, but it’s also about how a company communicates their values and mission so that employees can feel that sense of connection.
“You want to make sure that your people understand in different ways. Some people are audio learners, some people are visual learners, some learn by reading,” she said.
Then, companies and managers need to demonstrate those values.
“Managers can tell stories of how they are living the values that the company endorses,” Ms. Simon said.
For example, if a company values accountability, a manager can either role model that behaviour or share that story in an appropriate setting.
“People trust the consistency of behaviour,” she said.
Then, managers can encourage their people to share their own stories, which can help them better understand how their work is positively affecting their coworkers, customers and themselves – ultimately helping bring more meaning and connection to their work.
Gallup suggests one key way managers can help remote workers reconnect to the company’s purpose and mission is by having one meaningful 15- to 30-minute conversation per week with each employee.
To avoid making the conversation repetitive, or like a check-list item, Ms. Simon said “understand what each individual employee finds meaningful.”
Some people may be more focused on work, while others will also enjoy connecting about their family life or hobbies.
Ms. Simon said to keep the work conversations future-focused.
“You can ask, what roadblocks are you experiencing? What successes have you had, and where are the gaps? What do you need from me to be able to move forward and make progress?” she said.
Ms. Simon said solving these challenges in remote work is only one piece of the engagement puzzle.
“Sometimes people attach poor performance or poor engagement to remote work,” she said. “It’s important to be cautious about that because engagement results in office are also not great and have been low, even pre-pandemic.”
What I’m reading around the web
- According to this Fast Company article, ending your day when you’re in the middle of building a presentation slide or writing a sentence can actually help you jump right back into a flow state when you start work again. Here’s why it works.
- Working remotely in another country, and even getting a home there, might sound like a dream for some. But it’s creating nightmares for locals in foreign countries, including some in Puerto Rico. The CBC reports how tax breaks for non-residents are causing housing affordability issues abroad.
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