HUMAN RE SOURCE S // BY PAT PERRY
What Workers Want Has your company turned into a tourist destination?
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n January 2020, a workplace was considered a destination where people gathered to accomplish tasks and projects to achieve individual, team and company goals. Depending on their status as full time or part time, employees spent most, if not all, of their work time at the company’s location. In a way, prior to the pandemic, work is where we “lived” during the day throughout week. We spent most of our waking hours at the company and had a few hours left at home before we went off to bed. Today, due to the work-from-home and hybrid work schedules in place, the definition of a workplace for many employees may be changing. Now, employees spend most of their waking hours at home working and a few (if any) hours at the company’s facilities. In many ways, business locations have now become a place to “visit” to meet with co-workers, customers and their managers. Some employees may even feel that going to their company office is a nice place to visit, but they don’t want to “live” there anymore. It’s how many of us feel when we go on vacation. We visit nice places, but in most cases do not relocate to these tourist destinations (who would want to leave Northeast Ohio anyway!) As one of my friends stated to me earlier this year, “The workplace I knew before COVID-19 is never coming back. We have all changed the way we look at work, technology and company culture. 16 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022
Personally, I am never going back to my company’s office to do work. I like working from home and my flexible schedule. If they don’t like that, I’ll quit because there are plenty of companies that will let me work remotely if I want.” His perspective is shared by many, which continues to challenge corporate leaders relative to defining what they now call their workplace and how they will retain and attract employees. As we find ourselves at these unique workplace crossroads, this may be an outstanding time for organizational leaders to redefine what it means to work at their companies — especially if work-from-home and hybrid work schedules remain in place. In addition, it behooves businesses to develop a new equation of how to be an employer of choice, as the competition for talented individuals is as hot as the housing market. A good place to start is to gather your management team and address the following questions: ow do we keep the people we have H today? W hat is our company’s definition of a great workplace for top talent in this new era? What employee benefits will be needed to retain employees and attract qualified job candidates now and in the future? Do our company’s paid medical leave, bereavement leave and vacation time policies need a makeover?
ow will our management team esH tablish trust with employees that we rarely see in person due to work-fromhome and hybrid schedules? How will we instill a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation at our company for employees who continue to work remotely? What unique workplace practices, policies and/or programs do we need to institute that will give us an advantage in retaining and recruiting employees? If hybrid work schedules or workfrom-home options continue to exist under our leadership, how will we be able to motivate and inspire employees who we will not see in person on a day-to-day basis? How will we ensure that employees who return to the office full time are not treated any differently than those working remote? How will we measure employee performance regardless of where the employee is working, and how often will we conduct formal reviews? Will we support a training and development program for continuous learning? If so, will it be virtual or in-person? What metrics or feedback will we utilize to know if we are an employer of choice? W hat workplace issues, such as equal pay for equal worth, are prevalent in our company today that need to be eradicated?
