Operating in a changing world
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a key psychological fact: the human need to belong. Put simply employees need to feel they belong to your organisation and managing this gives mutual benefits.
Lack of belonging generates isolation, fragmentation and stress which results in reduced levels of commitment and a profound impact on company performance for the employer.
The Coronavirus pandemic has highlighted this issue due to time spent in lockdown. Feeling detached from the workplace, and missing social bonds once taken for granted, aligns employees with workers in the gig economy. Learning from that sector, best practice for employers is to:
- ensure work processes are not overly decentralised - avoid local silos and create touch points for different team members
- extend interaction beyond normal work - encourage employees to be creative and work in teams to solve specific organisational problems/tasks
- encourage oral communication - weekly team meetings and job sign-offs by telephone - and make this a performance metric
- use storytelling - encourage employees to share experiences - vulnerabilities or lessons learnt by senior employees can be very powerful and motivating
- ensure the people who work for you know your vision and goals and the part they have to play
- keep employees informed - the more they know the more they will be inclined to work with you rather than against you.
Whatever the workplace looks like after the pandemic, instilling a sense of belonging is something that will help now and in the future.
For advice on how to promote a sense of belonging for your people please Stuart Buglass.
Global round-up
Italy: new OECD guidance on financial transactions
Germany: reduction in VAT rates from July 2020 and economic stimulus package
Netherlands: the next big threat to your business
Hong Kong: key measures in the 2020-21 Budget
Global Business Solutions - taking the strain
When expanding into new markets you need a lot of HR, accounting and compliance knowledge fast. That's where we step in.
Global Business Solutions is part of Crowe U.K. We have access to a network of accredited specialists in over 140 countries around the world.
Based in the UK, we coordinate global compliance for a large number of fast-growing international businesses. Our experienced teams focus on keeping global compliance up to date for their clients and providing associated advice for expansion and change.
