As some organizations start bringing employees back to the office, many are finding that not all team members are excited to be transitioning back to an office environment full time. Although many employees struggled over the past year to balance work with children learning at home, they also experienced some benefits from a more flexible work environment and no commuting.
Employees have gotten used to focusing on results rather than hours worked and have adapted their lives to a more flexible environment. You’ve probably heard of “The Great Resignation”—a record amount of employees are quitting their jobs. Four million employees quit their jobs in April, and another 3.9 million quit in June. Employees are looking for better opportunities, citing better pay and more flexibility as the top two reasons for quitting. Over half of employees say they will look for a new job over the next year. Organizations are struggling to find great talent, and several companies that employ front line staff like Dunkin’ Donuts and Subway are cutting hours or closing dining rooms due to lack of staff.
Many credit unions I work with are struggling to find candidates to even interview for job openings. Employees have more choices, and they aren’t settling for a job just to collect a paycheck.Workplace expectations and culture are evolving and if you want to compete for the best talent, your credit union or organization will need to rethink how you work and focus on the employee experience.
Employees have experienced work in a different way over the past year, and many don’t see the benefits of the way it used to be.
In credit unions, we put a heavy focus on the member experience, and this is important. Technology is changing how your members want to bank, and younger generations have different expectations for their financial institutions. Yet many credit unions don’t put as much attention and focus on their employee experience, and that is a mistake. Your employees play a major role in delivering member service, and have a significant impact on how your members experience your credit union.
Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin, is known for an employee first approach. He has said if you put your employees first, they will take care of your customers. One of my favorite leadership books, Firms of Endearment, has proven that companies that focus on all stakeholders—employees, vendors, customers—significantly outperform companies that focus primarily on the customer (note: every credit union executive should read this book!).
Here are four considerations for elevating your employee experience:
- Rethink your work model. Technology is not the only thing that has changed over the past few decades. Our society and family dynamics have evolved too. And this has impacted the expectations people have for work. Both parents are employed in nearly 60% of households. Even though research shows that most women still bear the brunt of most household duties, many men want to be more active in family life than ever before. The modern family is stressed out, overwhelmed, and exhausted. This is driving employees to prioritize quality of life and seek out employment opportunities that support flexibility. To be seen as an employer of choice, credit unions need to rethink how employees can successfully do their work, and offer flexible options, when possible. Several credit unions have already instituted hybrid work models that include a mix of onsite and virtual work. Credit unions that are proactive in creating a modern work model will be positioned to attract the best talent, even in a tight labor market.
- Upgrade your leadership team. Society is evolving, employee expectations are evolving, and leadership needs to evolve. The traditional style of leadership is not effective in today’s environment. Effective leadership focuses on development, coaching, support, accountability, and feedback. Essential skills like flexibility, empathy, and compassion are essential for managing today’s workforce. The direct manager of an employee has the biggest impact on their experience at work. You can have great benefits and compensation, but if you don’t have great leaders, the best employees won’t stay. Invest in your leadership team to upgrade their skills so they can be a positive influence and bring out the best in each of your employees.
- Listen to your employees—actively ask for their feedback. Take time to understand what is important to your employees. This is the first time in history that there are five generations in the workplace. Your current employees may value different things than your workforce from ten years ago. Make sure your managers are consistently connecting with employees to understand what is important to them. At least every two years, conduct an employee engagement survey to ensure you have objective data for designing your benefits and employee experience.
- Analyze the employee experience. The experience your members have are based on the touchpoints they go through as they interact with your credit union, like your online loan application, your website, and interactions with your team members. The employee experience is influenced by how they are onboarded into the culture, the benefits you offer, interactions with the direct manager, and overall communication, to name a few. Very few organizations take the time to map out an exceptional employee experience that will create a positive connection with each employee. For example, one of my credit union clients sends an edible arrangement to a new employee’s home the week before they start work. This creates a great first impression. The small and the big things matter. Take time to proactively create an experience that will attract and retain the best talent in the market.
Credit unions in particular have an incredible opportunity in our current market to attract exceptional talent. The credit union philosophy of “people helping people” can be attractive to potential employees who crave meaning in their work and a connection to their company.
If you are proactive in designing a modern employee experience where each person feels valued and can develop and grow while having the flexibility to enjoy life, you can truly create a place where people love to come to work.
Whenever I have a work project that I keep putting off - I think about delegating that project to someone else - which accomplishes 2 things- it gets the project done and frees us my brain space thinking about it.
Good morning. I loved this read. Thank you so much for sharing. Sincerely, Melissa :)
Thank you for this blog Laurie. I liked most part and specially "As organizations have become more complex, there is a tendency to require employees to do more with less. This is a slippery slope, and often can result in employees feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. One of the biggest contributors to this is not evaluating resources during the strategic planning process." I will use this practice "A best practice is to do what I call Priority Planning—putting important practices on your calendar ahead of time so they become a priority in your day. Examples of activities to Priority Plan include scheduling recurring coaching sessions with each team member, time for strategic thinking and planning, vacations, doctor appointments, important children’s events, and blocks of time for focused work on projects." To be more effective, I will get a good rest so I can have enough energy in the morning. I will read the blog again along with the other links on employee evaluation. Thank you so much Laurie. Best wishes to you and your family.
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I love the feedback on the more than 50 hours of work. AND filling time. So true. Unfortunately, showing that you work longer hours is still seen as being a "hard worker" - not sure how to change that though.
I enjoyed the read. I concur that transitioning from technical skills to delegating results was a task within itself. I did not realize I was almost trying to do the same thing from my previous position, and it was not working. However, I am seeing the results of how delegating daily tasks makes my job and workload easier. Thank you, Laurie.
Thank you for sharing information about your trip Laurie! All 3 things resonate with me - probably #1 being the biggest. I know when I'm gone for a week, I'm still thinking about work and need a vacation when I get back because I did not relax enough. I think your idea of a longer vacation is definitely in my future!!
Hey Laurie, My take on your list - 1 - everyone has a story - listen 2- social media causes interpersonal problems 5- generational differences create hurdles / earn it you aren't entitled / we should help them get there not give it to them 6 AMEN some leaders I would have followed thru Hell, some I wish - well, you know 7- true BUT be as good as your word and 14- Hopefully we leave some good from our efforts, I know the good leaders I have had have. Seen a lot in my career but it really comes down to treat others the way you want to be treated, fair, honest, and straight forward. Good read. Take care
I love this so much and thank you so much for sharing! I really just love realizing that enjoying the simple things sometimes is the best! Also recognizing that what is important and fun to you may not be everyone else's fun on the on the trip. “Do we get to keep these toiletries?” was my favorite!!!! :):) Glad you had a great time and got to spend it with your family!
I very much resonate with lesson no 3! Thank you Laurie
I think the part that you might have missed in their top 5 things, some of which were not "Italian" or even different from home, all of them happened with you, both of you. And i think that is what they will remember too. And you've got tons of photos that will remind them of what the Sistine Chapel looked like - then they might remember what it sounded like or smelled like. Oh- and i agree with you 100% about sleep!
LOTS of great take-aways from this post! Thank you for posting! I especially love "slow down to speed up". That's a keeper!
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the not getting enough rest to be at my best. definitely need to get more quality sleep and make that a priority
It really is hard to narrow down the 3 lessons into one because they are all so interconnected. You need to give your mind and body THE TIME to relax SO THAT you can enjoy the SIMPLE THINGS, including REST. I enjoyed that lesson as a whole. I will take that lesson with me on my next vacation (or staycation). As always, thank you Laurie for your candor and for sharing your own lessons with others so that we too can benefit.
Great information and reminders
Laurie, Thank you for sharing your trip and these nuggets. The lessons that resonate most with me are it does take time to relax and getting proper rest. When you devote 15 plus hours of your day for work, taking care of home and others; the 6-7 hours you lay down does not cut it! For me during this time I'm trying to unwind and find myself thinking fighting not to think about what I have to do tomorrow. Even after I create a to do list for the next day...I find things I need to add. Taking a day off here and there doesn't cut it as well because of all the plans you have for that day. I try to make sure my Mental Health Days remains just that.... time for me to laugh, cry, scream.... whatever I need to release the cares and stress!
Really enjoyed the article... and all very true!
Since I was already well aware of #1 (I'm in the same boat with taking a long time to relax), I think I'm resonating most with #3. I'm learning to prioritize sleep / rest and it's been wonderful. Love that you said "I love sleep.". :)
Welcome back from vacation. Well deserve! Action is the key to success. Shoulder to shoulder, coaching and delegating task to help other employees grow are very important. It is a sacrifice that one must do. Forget about yourself and be with your team day in and out to help them grow, is not always easy. On the long run, your team is stronger, and you can depend on them for the success of the organization. Thank you so much!
So many great tips here, thank you!
I am so impressed you're able to disconnect and these are great tips I'll be sure to try on my next trip!
Such a great post - so inspiring!