A strategy for success: Prioritizing people

In most gardens there are a variety of plants and vegetables, each with their own needs for the right amounts of sunlight, water, and feed. In many ways, organizations are like a garden. Just as each individual plant has its own unique requirements to flourish, so do employees.

It’s a well-known fact today that organizations need to care for and invest in their employees by fostering a positive workplace culture. This is a critical factor that defines a company’s ability to succeed in the current hyper-competitive talent market. 

Our latest report from the Capgemini Research Institute analyzes employees’ views on workplace experiences, diving into how they affect organizations and individuals alike. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the significant global resourcing issues caused by ‘The Great Resignation’, the report finds that creating positive experiences for employees has never been more important. However, the experiences that contribute to workplace satisfaction go far beyond the typical moments of the talent lifecycle, like recruitment and onboarding. They also include day-to-day activities. When managed effectively, the report found there are benefits in terms of retention, increased levels of engagement, and wider business outcomes such as improved brand reputation and customer satisfaction. Three data points that stood out for me:

• Positive experiences encourage retention: Neary all employees (97%) who rate their experience as positive say they intend to stay at their current company for (at least) the next 12 months.
• A positive experience results in higher engagement: The vast majority (96%) of employees reporting a positive experience feel more engaged at work, meaning they feel motivated or energized to show up each day.
• Positive experiences turn employees into promoters: Ninety-four percent of employees with a positive experience are likely to recommend their organization as a place to work to their friends or family.

We identified 10 possible actions for organizations to improve their people experience and put people at the heart. Making use of the technology and providing employees with the right tools with which to work effectively, is the basis for any experience. Here are three concrete actions for leaders to influence the people experience:

1. Develop an “employer promise” that links job roles to outcomes and articulates career-growth potential. Employees crave a clear understanding of their role, a transparent path for progression, and a vision of how they are contributing to the bigger picture. The rise of remote working has exacerbated this need for clarity. Leaders should look to develop an ‘employer promise’ that clearly links job roles to outcomes and articulates career-growth potential. Employees can then set goals and track their own progress alongside performance management, allowing them to clearly understand what is expected and identify roles within the business that meet their aspirations and enable internal mobility. 
2. Facilitate growth and progression. Skills are increasingly being labelled as the new currency of the labor market. While the first instinct for many employers might be to look externally for those talents, providing employees with the resources and opportunities to advance their careers, learn new skills and gain formative experiences could be a smarter way to attract and retain people. Not only can this commitment to internal upskilling help lower the costs associated with hiring new talent, but it can also enable growth for an employee and improve their workplace experience. It is more likely to foster a workforce that is driven, engaged and motivated. However, leaders need to prioritize making use of an organization’s learning platforms to encourage employees to upskill, pursue new endeavors within their work, or take advanced certification courses. 
3.  Show care and empathy to be an effective leader. In an increasingly digitized workspace – which can infringe on so many people’s work-life balance – leaders must look after their employees’ wellbeing. Emotional intelligence is key. Being genuinely empathetic and learning to authentically listen to employees' needs are all critical attributes that should be built into any leader’s skillset. Leaders can play a pivotal role in shaping how their teams feel about the work they do and their role within the organization. Prioritizing employee programs and making use of the technology and tools available to them can make listening exercises more meaningful.

With the labor market being more competitive than ever, it has never been so critical for leaders at all levels of an organization to revisit their people strategy on a regular basis, to understand the evolving needs of their employees to ensure that both they and their organization are able to grow and flourish. Exciting times ahead!