It seems clear the workplace will change after the pandemic subsides, perhaps drastically.
For example, an Accenture survey shows 83 percent of workers are partial to a hybrid work model, allowing them to work from home (WFH) at least 25 percent of the time. And almost 40 percent of workers in another recent survey say they’d contemplate quitting if their companies refuse to consider WFH arrangements. Incidentally, 49 percent of those who said so were millennials and Gen Z.
Business seems aware of workers’ moods. A total of 93 percent of company leaders tell Frost & Sullivan they expect 25 percent or more of their staff to WFH. And 71 percent of representatives of businesses that occupy offices say the pandemic’s move to WFH will “fundamentally change” how they view office space. Yet nearly the same percentage of landlords (69 percent) expect no long-term changes.
While it’s unclear what comes next, it seems certain change is imminent. Moreover, building and maintaining a corporate culture, or, perhaps rebuilding one for the post-pandemic environment, will occupy a large majority of businesses and organizations.
Among the tasks ahead for internal communicators will be gaining, or regaining, employee trust. In addition, motivating and engaging staff will occupy internal communicators. Of course, none of this will happen overnight. And leadership buy-in is critical.
Back to the Basics
So, what should the communicator do now in this uncertain moment? How can we ensure a company’s internal communication tactics and strategies are successful?
Since it’s uncertain what the new workplace will look like, the communicator needs to work on the basics. Begin with the tone of internal communication.
There always is a place for empathy in business, but it isn’t something that comes naturally to everyone. Similar to nearly everything else, for empathy to be effective it needs to be authentic.
A leader who wasn’t empathetic prior to the pandemic will have a difficult time making staff believe she’s become so recently. Fortunately, elements of empathy are learnable.
That said, the pandemic and remote work have brought the need for good communication to the forefront of business. There is no doubt that leading with empathy will help build more successful companies, now and in the future.
In a rapidly changing world, workplace culture is increasingly important to employees. They expect employers to appreciate and understand them. In fact, 66 percent of staff say they would quit if they didn’t feel managers and leaders valued them.
People are at the heart of most businesses. Certainly that’s the case with communicators. The way they are treated has a direct impact on their happiness and engagement.
It’s a well-known fact that businesses with engaged employees tend to have a strong team culture, higher rates of productivity, better staff retention rates, lower absences from work and increased profitability.
If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that business leaders and managers have a duty of care toward staff that extends way beyond adhering to health and safety regulations.
Not only are we in the middle of a global mental health crisis, but people are searching for more purpose and meaning in their work. Making money is no longer the key motivation to get out of bed in the morning.
Empathy is a skill that can, and should, be acquired and practiced in business. At its most basic level, empathy is about seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. Learning to listen well is the best way to do this. To become an empathetic leader, active listening is critical.
Listening and Empathetic Communication
It is not a coincidence that humans were designed with two ears and one mouth. Still, most of us listen to others with the intention of forming a response to what we are hearing.
However, a better method is listening so you can understand the other person’s reality, rather than listening to respond. Active listening means moving attention away from yourself to gain a better understanding of what is being said and why. This requires leaders to use all their senses to observe everything about the message they are receiving. It involves absorbing people’s words, expressions and emotions dispassionately, without preconceived thoughts or opinions.
When done correctly, active listening enables leaders to understand more fully the person being listened to on an active and emotional level.
Building Trust Through Listening
Perfecting the art of active listening will build trust and good rapport among employees. The result will be a strong culture, fewer conflicts and significantly increased productivity.
As PR pros know, it takes time to build meaningful relationships. Similarly, don’t expect an immediate change in a leader who seemed to lack empathy previously. A gradual growth in empathetic communication from a leader will seem more authentic, because it is.
In addition, a leader is unlikely to understand a person’s needs from one conversation. Leaders need to make it a priority to listen closely to the needs of staff. Those leaders who make time for good communication will reap the rewards.
Contact: [email protected]