Since 2020, “the new normal” and “The Great Resignation,” are two phrases that people have consistently used to describe the discomfort and change that the past two years have caused. Many of those themes are still at play today as millions of Americans work from home or in a hybrid office environment. And even with record inflation, rising interest rates and talks of a recession heating up, companies continue to battle record low retention and morale.
Now that most people have the flexibility and autonomy to either work from home or go back into the office, why is the workplace — regardless of format — still one of the biggest sources of anxiety in our collective lives?
According to two recent Gallup studies, two in three American workers are disengaged or uninspired when it comes to work, and three in four believe their employer doesn’t genuinely care about their well being. Meanwhile, a recent MIT Sloan Management study found people are 10 times more likely to leave a job because of toxic work environments rather than low compensation or a lack of work-life balance.
As employees continue to experience burnout and frustration from their toxic work environments, leaders are struggling to help their teams feel appreciated, engaged and encouraged to continue working. More than ever, we’re realizing that it’s not so much the physical environment that somebody works in, but the emotional environment that their leaders create that causes these feelings of burnout and frustration.
1. Be aware of people’s individual needs.
Leaders must inquire about what their employees need in order to feel ready and able to do their best work. Even just getting that conversation started is a step in the right direction. Especially in the age of remote work, employees need to feel like they have the right tools and support to want to get their work done. By learning what those individualized needs are, leaders can encourage their employees to work creatively. Meeting the needs of employees, and not just the needs of the company, allows leaders to create a work environment that feels encouraging and engaging. A leader might start this conversation by simply asking their employees, “What needs do you have that are not being met here?”
2. Be open about your fears, and help people share theirs.
Holding in fear only holds people back. Employees might feel fearful and restricted when it comes to speaking their mind at an important meeting or offering suggestions for change to a senior level employee. Managers who create a safe space for employees to share and work through their fear create a more psychologically safe work environment in which people are able to have the hard conversations that promote growth in the company. A manager who encourages their employees to work through their fear will in turn empower them to take more risks and step out of their comfort zone. By asking employees, “What fears might be holding you back?”, a leader allows their employees to open up and explore conversations that promote growth and safety.
3. Enable people to deploy their unique gifts.
“Leading with heart requires giving up the idea of what you are good at to unearth what you might be great at,” we write in our book. Good managers encourage employees to search deeply inside themselves to find their unrealized talents. Everybody has a “zone of genius.”
Leaders should encourage employees to find their own “zone of genius” by having conversations around what skills and strengths they have that aren’t yet benefitting the team. Another way to phrase this question is, “What gift do you have that feels unexpressed?”
Whether you are seeing your co-workers in person or on screen, heart-open interactions and conversations will always matter the most. Leaders who use those conversations as opportunities to create a heart-centered culture will build more trust with their people and enjoy more engagement and productivity for the long-term.
