In the post-pandemic era, most global organizations have had to adapt at an ever-increasing pace of change. A myriad of challenges in the workplace have changed not just the way we work but our relationship with work itself!
However, this comes with a silver lining. Companies have taken up this opportunity for reinvention of work culture and work styles. Work has been redefined either as fully remote, hybrid, or back-to-office.
So, what is the redefined future of work?
The book, ‘Making Work Human: How Human-Centered Companies are Changing the Future of Work and the World’, by Eric Mosley & Derek Irvine discusses that the future of work is human.
‘The future of work is human’: What does that really mean?
As technology advances, it is being leveraged to take up more tasks. This gives people more time to work on tasks that can serve deeper levels of human need.
‘The future of work is human’ suggests that companies should build a culture with strong, connected communities – one that maximizes personalization for employees and is led by leaders with empathy.
A human–focused culture endorses purposeful and meaningful communication that enables lasting, productive teams and strong networks. This helps companies shift from being technology-centric to human-focussed, from simply collecting data to creating human connections. In other words, there is need for pillars/key values driving a winning work culture.
In my research and experience, I have streamlined three key pillars that make a workplace more employee focused.
What are the three pillars of a winning work culture?
A winning culture like this can be built effectively by adhering to three pillars:
- Creating Connected Communities
- Personalization & Flexibility Options
- Leaders With Empathy
Connected Community
In connected communities at the workplace, employees work together to fulfil their psychological needs like support, belonging, trustworthiness, recognition, and connection. They celebrate their life events and express themselves freely with no worries about feeling awkward or being humiliated. They also find purpose and meaning at work that gives them the impetus to live a full, wholesome professional life while having fun. Such a strong sense of community, connection and that unique personal touch at a deep level between employees nurtures collaboration and promotes synergy at work.
Personalization & Flexibility Options
Personalization lets employees choose flexible working environments and hours. This allows employees to find their best path to achieve the highest productivity while generating consistent, high-quality outcomes.
While being compensated at market value for their skills and performance, they are also empowered to share diverse experiences, express their rich interests; and are motivated to put their best ideas forward. This is a huge leverage for companies – they can benefit from employees’ individual strength. Moreover, an employee who brings his whole self to work will feel more respected and inspired too. That, in turn, will drive the organization to new heights.
The company wins as an entity when every employee secures their personal growth.
Having Leaders with Empathy
The leaders should lead with empathy and have strong communication and EQ (emotional intelligence) skills. This, in turn, can help build strong communities attract and retain the best talent. Employees also add their ART skills into the traditional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) skill sets to enforce community culture with their EQs.
This nuance is not something that technology can offer.
Conclusion
It is as clear as day that in today’s day and age it is imperative to create a culture where employees are aligned with the organization’s goals and vice versa. When a workplace becomes more human and leans on the three pillars we explored, this happens naturally. A winning work culture directly leads to positive business outcomes in the long term.
