It is very difficult for people working remotely to maintain a work-life balance. As many as 39% of employees admitted that their mental health has suffered as a result of the pandemic (research conducted by Devire).
The biggest problems for employees are the feeling of isolation, monotony, uncertainty, stress. A big shock was the complete change in the mode of work – suddenly we stopped going to offices and were locked in houses (often in a small space that had to become our workplace).
Problems related to remote work
What bothered us most often? Definitely, the lack of work-life balance. It was difficult for the employees to organize their day in an effective way. The responsibilities related to the house took up our time and as a result there were tasks that we had to catch up after “leaving work” (in this case, leaving the room where we put the desk).
Communication between employees was also difficult. As many as 35% did not have the opportunity to exchange knowledge with a colleague. There is also disinformation (35%), and 20% of respondents point to the lack of efficient flow of information with the boss.
Isolation and loneliness
A sense of seclusion is another important aspect. Locked in the house, we were not able to change the environment. The only way was to go for a walk with the dog (which at one point was the ONLY LEGAL possibility to leave the apartment).
Nor can we forget that workers have been isolated from the rest of society together with their families, and this has also been tiring in the long run. Constant attempts to adapt their schedules (meetings) to children’s online classes gave rise to conflicts – especially during the first weeks of lockdown.
All this caused a lot of emotions that were difficult to cope with. Each of us faced uncertainty. Every day we asked ourselves questions:
What’s next?
How long will it take?
Will my position not be abolished?
2 out of 5 employees admitted that their mental health had been significantly affected – 49% of women and 32% of men. They were mainly young people (18-25 years old). Employees over 55 years of age, thanks to their many years of experience, have coped much better with the effects of the pandemic.
How to take care of employees’ motivation?
The most important thing is to pay attention to the differences between employees. Each of us has different needs, and this is often due to our age range. Generational difference is an important aspect that managers need to pay attention to.
For example, younger people pay attention to the company’s profile. For baby boomers and X generation stability is the most important.
Employees’ mental health
The productivity of each employee is largely due to mental balance, which as a result of the pandemic has unfortunately been severely disturbed. The task of the team leader is to detect the problem, build a strategy and try to eliminate it.
For each of us, discipline and clearly set goals are important at work. On the other hand, it is important to have freedom in action and the trust of our boss.In a tricky situation, the employee should know who to go to for help and advice.
The organization should also create a culture that emphasizes the preservation of the already mentioned work-life balance. It is important that employees are taught to organize their work well – as a result, they will not have to spend the night to finish an important project. Each stage of the task will have its own deadline.
Motivation means also benefits – not only financial ones. The attractiveness of a given position and company itself is influenced by the possibility of development (interesting offers of trainings and workshops). Employees are always looking for a way to gain knowledge, and a good leader should provide them with the best possible access to acquire new skills.
Another important aspect is building an integrated community and this is possible – even when working remotely. “Virtual coffees” are a good way to get to know your team members better and a nice way to spend time while working.
What is going to happen next?
The restrictions have long been lifted – even though the virus is still in the air. Many companies have not returned to the traditional mode of work and there are many indications that remote work will stay with us for good.
Saving on renting office space is one thing. The second reason is the lack of enthusiasm of employees at the news of the return to stationary mode of work. As many as 61% of respondents want to work from home! We got used to not rushing in the morning to make it to the bus. We do not have to deal with the traffic.
Consea and its Consulting Department aim to lead companies and help them implement a culture of attention to issues such as work-life balance or promoting DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) policies. We strongly believe that this goal has such a positive impact on the high level of motivation and productivity of employees working for organizations that have trusted us.
Authors:
Iga Paszkiewicz – Recruitment Consultant w Consea Executive Search
Emotional intelligence: what is it and why it can change your life
Emotional Intelligence is the common thread in every project promoted by Consea Human Capital Consulting: we firmly believe in the effectiveness of this skill, which is now internationally recognized, both in the field of psychology and in business organization.
The term emotional intelligence was first used in the 1980s by psychologist Howard Gardner, who introduced the concepts of inter-personal intelligence (which allows one to understand others' intentions and emotions) and intra-personal intelligence (i.e., the ability to understand one's own emotions and motivations).
However, the concept of emotional intelligence was popularized and made famous by U.S. psychologist, author and science journalist Daniel Goleman, with the book "Emotional Intelligence: What It Is and Why It Can Make Us Happy": in this essay, the author explains how a good IQ is not enough to achieve success at work and well-being in life, as a mix of self-control, perseverance, empathy and attention to others contribute to the basis of our choices.
The power of emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is thus the ability to recognize and understand one's own and others' emotions, but also the ability to use this awareness to better manage one's own behaviours.
Why can this change our lives and, to quote Goleman's words, make us happy? The answer is simple: emotions often get the better of us, sabotaging our chances of success at work and in life.
With emotional intelligence, however, it is possible to prevent this from happening by learning to make decisions guided by common sense and self-awareness, rather than impulsivity and fear.
By recognizing and training one's emotional intelligence, one first achieves greater mental serenity and thus greater well-being.
Emotional intelligence between reason and emotionality
Underlying emotional intelligence, we can find neuroscientific explanations. In fact, we must consider that everything we perceive through our senses travels inside our body by means of electrical signals, which pass from cell to cell until they reach our brain and, specifically, the limbic system, where emotions are born, to arrive, only later, to the frontal lobe, the seat of logical and rational thought.
Analyzing this process, we easily conclude: even before we can rationally evaluate reality, we perceive it emotionally and react to external stimuli, first with our emotional center and then with our logical center.
That is why sometimes, in moments of anger, it is difficult to control one's emotions, risking saying things that one does not really mean. In fact, in such cases, reason is hindered by emotions, which do not allow us to evaluate the information and thus choose the most appropriate reaction.
We can therefore say, in a grand summary, that emotional intelligence is the skill that enables us to narrow the gap between emotionality and reason.
Follow us to find out what emotional intelligence skills are and how they can impact the workplace.
Having clarified the importance of emotional intelligence, we can delve into its basic characteristics.
Emotional intelligence is in fact composed of two main competencies:
personal skills, namely self-awareness and self-control, which include the ability to recognize one's emotions and control one's behaviour
social skills, that is, social awareness and interpersonal relationships, which include the ability to recognize and understand others’ moods, motivations and behaviours.
In more detail, the core skills attributable to emotional intelligence are:
SELF-AWARENESS
This is a fundamental skill for emotional intelligence because it underlies other skills: being aware means knowing one's nature, behaviours,and emotions, but also the events that trigger our emotional reactions.
Being aware means having a clear and defined vision of one's potential and weaknesses: in this way, one has a better chance of pursuing the right opportunities, enhancing one's talents and preventing non-functional emotions from blocking us.
Knowing ourselves offers us great opportunities: it allows us to learn to make predictions about how we will deal with the various situations that life throws us in our daily lives, thus being able to live more prepared for events, with the ability to be able to choose situations, behaviours and attitudes that are more functional for achieving our goals.
SELF-CONTROL
Self-control is closely related to self-awareness because it represents how we use that awareness to direct our behaviour. In fact, knowing one's tendencies and motivations but not acting to counteract or encourage them is tantamount to not being aware at all.
If, on the other hand, one is able to control oneself, she/he can recognize the onset of a negative emotion and use rational thought to persuade oneself not to do or say what the emotion would prompt one to do or say.
SOCIAL AWARENESS
Social awareness is the ability to clearly perceive the emotional states of others and to understand exactly what is happening to them. This ability also involves understanding both what others are feeling or thinking and what our position is regarding their feelings or thoughts: do we share them or not? Do we think like them or not?
The basic skills of social awareness are listening and observing, which enable one to shift attention from one's own thoughts to those of others. Those who can listen and observe, therefore, are able to change perspective and put themselves in others' shoes, being able to be more understanding, hence empathetic.
MANAGING INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Very often we don’t realize the impact our behaviour can have on others, and it is increasingly common to interact in life, but also on social media, with people who have little empathy and put their own needs ahead of those of others.
The ability to manage interpersonal relationships makes it possible to build healthier and more peaceful relationships. Usually those with low emotional intelligence, in a moment of confrontation tend to avoid head to head or respond passively-aggressively to provocations, then venting on others the anger they cannot handle.
Those with emotional intelligence, on the other hand, can avoid giving in to the temptation to attack the other person, and strive to understand him or her, rather than trying to defeat or humiliate him or her.
Follow us to find out what emotional intelligence skills are and how they can impact the workplace.
Satisfaction in the workplace: How does work affect our happiness?
A good atmosphere in the workplace, satisfying salary and interesting challenges undoubtedly affect the attractiveness of our professional life. But is it only professional?
Work is an inseparable part of our life and has a huge impact on it. Our frequent profession defines us as a person. When asked "who are you?" we usually immediately mention our job title.
Duties, relationships with employees, successes, but also failures penetrate into our private lives. It's hard to completely cut yourself off from what's going on in the workplace. That is why it is so important that what we do professionally gives us a sense of fulfillment and provides financial security.
How to achieve "wellbeing" in the workplace?
"Wellbeing" is defined as a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment of an employee. It is related to providing them with opportunities for development and safe working conditions. Additional benefits are an added value, but they will not replace the appropriate organizational culture of the company.
How to provide employees with comfort of work?
First of all, monitor their satisfaction and create an environment in which every employee will feel free to say what bothers them. Surveys or individual conversations of employees with the HR Manager can help with this.
The next step is to implement appropriate action: these can be platforms providing consultations with a psychologist, organizing fitness classes (e.g. yoga) – activities, which can help the employee take their thoughts off the multitude of duties.
Every company and its needs are different. Especially after the pandemic, which made the hybrid model a permanent feature of many organizations. It is important to match the right tool and use it to create a workplace that will make the employee satisfied.
Generation Y and Z – can they enjoy their work?
Rocketjobs.pl conducted research in Poland to check the importance of work in the respondent's life and whether it is also their passion.
52% of people declared that working is an important part of their lives, while 30% say that there are other more important things they focus on.
The results are the same when it comes to perception of the profession as a passion – 52% treat their work in this way, and 30% of respondents do not include their job as a hobby.
6 out of 10 people say they are happy at work. While 1 out of 5 people feel – quite the opposite.
The survey has also shown which aspects of working life are important for Generation Y and Z.
The most important factors turned out to be: salary, flexible working time, development prospects, the possibility of remote work, work dynamics, prestige of work, and good relations with co-workers.
It turns out that 51% of respondents from generation Z and 3 out of 5 respondents from generation Y are very satisfied with their level of salary.
The younger the respondents, the more they valued flexible working hours and development prospects. Work dynamics, prestige of the profession and relationships with colleagues are equally important for the respondents – regardless of their age.
The employees were also asked about the reason for choosing a job and the most important thing for them is still the salary. Nowadays, this should not surprise us at all: inflation makes people want to feel financially secured. Additional benefits take a back seat – employees definitely prefer a larger payment than a gym membership. However, this does not mean, that other things – such as a good atmosphere and appropriate organizational culture – should be neglected. If they are at a low level, the employee without remorse will go to the competition.
What is "gainful employment"?
"Gainful employment" is a situation in which the employee is materially self-sufficient thanks to their earnings. They are able to cover all needs (paying for housing, food, healthcare, but also education, culture, etc.), and thus derive full satisfaction from life.
In order for an employee to strive for such a state, they should have access to:
Courses and education – having skills that are in demand in the labor market will allow one to develop professionally and, as a result, receive a promotion.
Professional experience – this includes apprenticeships, internships, volunteering, i.e. everything that will allow someone to learn new things.
Network of contacts – being active in social media and participating in fairs, conferences, interesting events.
CV – an up-to-date document that presents our current skills. Before the recruitment interview, it is also good to get to know employer's profile.
Job search "out of the box" – it is nice sometimes to get out of the comfort zone and in addition to the standard application on the Internet, make direct contact with recruiters using LinkedIn.
Summary
One’s profession does not have to be life’s greatest passion, but it is important to approach one’s duties with a motivation.
This is important, not only from the point of view of the employee themself, but also for the employer. A company that provides its people with appropriate development conditions and attractive salary has a better chance of keeping a good employee for a long time.
However, research has shown that not everyone feels happy in the workplace – this is important information for many organizations in the labor market. Employers can reliably check whether their employees feel good and implement the necessary solutions.
It turns out that it is the youngest, (generation Z), that forces employers to make the most changes. Representatives of this generation are confident and openly signal what they disagree. They suggest to employers what they would like to improve or achieve. If they don't get it, they change jobs without any regrets. Gen Z doesn't want to waste time on something that doesn't bring them satisfaction. They also emphasize the so-called „work-life balance” – a sense of peace and disconnection from professional matters after working hours is extremely important to Generation Z.
Every person strives to achieve happiness - for everyone it has a different meaning but work is an inseparable element of everyone’s lifes and it is important to take care of fulfillment there also.
Follow Consea Group on LinkedIn to stay updated on the latest news about well-being in the workplace.
Authors:
Iga Paszkiewicz - Recruitment Consultant Consea Executive Search, Poland
Read the article in Polish:
Jak praca wpływa na nasze poczucie szczęścia?
Dobra atmosfera w miejscu pracy, satysfakcjonujące wynagrodzenie oraz ciekawe wyzwania niewątpliwie wpływają na atrakcyjność naszego życia zawodowego. Ale czy tylko zawodowego?
Praca jest nieodłączną częścią naszego życia i ma na nie ogromny wpływ. Często wykonywany przez nas zawód definiuje nas jako osobę. Na pytanie „kim jesteś?” zazwyczaj od razu wspominamy o naszej profesji. Dopiero potem pojawiają się kolejne elementy i cechy, które nas opisują.
Obowiązki, relacje z pracownikami, sukcesy, ale i porażki przenikają do naszego prywatnego życia. Ciężko jest całkowicie odciąć się od tego, co dzieje się w miejscu pracy. Dlatego tak ważne jest, by to, co robimy sprawiało nam przyjemność, poczucie spełnienia oraz zapewniało bezpieczeństwo finansowe.
Jak osiągnąć „wellbeing” w miejscu pracy?
„Wellbeing” definiujemy jako poczucie zadowolenia i spełnienia pracownika. Jest ono związane z zapewnieniem mu możliwości rozwoju oraz bezpiecznych warunków pracy.
Dodatkowe benefity czy tzw. „owocowe czwartki” to wartość dodana, ale nie zastąpią pracownikowi odpowiedniej kultury organizacyjnej firmy.
Jak zapewnić pracownikom komfort pracy?
Przede wszystkim monitorować jego zadowolenie oraz kreować środowisko, w którym każdy zatrudniony będzie czuł się swobodnie, by powiedzieć, co mu nie odpowiada. Mogą w tym pomóc ankiety, badania lub indywidualne rozmowy pracowników z HR Managerem.
Następnym krokiem jest wdrożenie odpowiedniego działania: mogą to być platformy zapewniające konsultacje z psychologiem, zorganizowanie krótkich zajęć (np. joga), które pomogą pracownikowi oderwać swoje myśli od natłoku obowiązków.
Każda firma i jej potrzeby są inne. Zwłaszcza po pandemii, która sprawiła, że model hybrydowy zagościł na stałe w wielu organizacjach. Ważne, by dopasować odpowiednie narzędzie i za jego pomocą kreować miejsce pracy, które sprawi, że pracownik będzie czuł się w nim spełniony.
Pokolenie Y i Z – czy potrafią cieszyć się z pracy?
Rocketjobs.pl przeprowadziło badania, które miały na celu sprawdzić, jak ważna jest praca w życiu respondenta i czy jest ona również jego pasją.
52% osób zadeklarowało, że praca stanowi istotną część ich życia, 30% twierdzi, że są inne ważniejsze rzeczy, na których się skupiają.
Podobnie było w kwestii postrzegania zawodu jako pasji – 52% właśnie w taki sposób traktuje swoją pracę, a 30% ankietowanych nie zalicza swojej profesji do hobby.
6 z 10 osób twierdzi, że jest w pracy szczęśliwa. 1 z 5 osób – wręcz odwrotnie.
W badaniach zbadano również, jakie aspekty związane z życiem zawodowym są ważne dla przedstawicieli generacji Y i Z.
Najważniejsze okazały się: poziom wynagrodzenia, elastyczny czas pracy, perspektywy rozwoju, możliwość pracy zdalnej, odpowiadająca dynamika pracy, prestiż wykonywanej pracy, dobre relacje ze współpracownikami.
Okazuje się, że 51% ankietowych z pokolenia Z oraz 3 z 5 badanych z pokolenia Y jest bardzo zadowolonych z poziomu wynagrodzenia.
Im młodsi są ankietowani, tym bardziej cenią sobie elastyczny czas pracy oraz perspektywy rozwoju. Dynamika pracy, prestiż wykonywanego zawodu oraz relacje ze współpracownikami są ważne w podobnym stopniu dla badanych osób – niezależnie od ich wieku.
Badanych pytano również o powód wyboru pracy i najważniejsza dla nich jest nadal wysokość wynagrodzenia. W obecnych czasach absolutnie nie powinno nas to dziwić. Inflacja powoduje, że każdy z nas chciałby czuć się zabezpieczony finansowo. Dodatkowe benefity schodzą wtedy na drugi plan – pracownicy zdecydowanie bardziej wolą większą wypłatę niż karnet sportowy. Nie oznacza to jednak, że inne kwestie – takie, jak dobra atmosfera oraz odpowiednia kultura organizacyjna powinny być zaniedbane. Jeśli są one na niskim poziomie, pracownik bez wyrzutów sumienia przejdzie do konkurencji.
Czym jest „gainfull employment”?
„Gainfull employment” to sytuacja, w której pracownik dzięki swoim zarobkom jest samowystarczalny materialnie. Jest on w stanie pokryć wszystkie potrzeby (opłacenie mieszkania, żywności, opieki zdrowotnej, ale i edukacji, kultury), a co za tym idzie czerpać pełną satysfakcję z życia.
Aby pracownik dążył do takiego stanu, powinien mieć dostęp do:
Kursów i edukacji – posiadanie umiejętności, które są pożądane na rynku pracy pozwolą na rozwój zawodowy, a w rezultacie otrzymanie awansu.
Doświadczenie zawodowe – zaliczamy do tego praktyki, staż, wolontariat, czyli wszystko, co pozwoli nam na naukę nowych rzeczy.
Sieć kontaktów – bycie aktywnym w social mediach oraz uczestniczenie w targach, konferencjach, ciekawych eventach.
Odpowiednie CV – aktualny dokument, który przedstawia nasze dotychczasowe umiejętności. Przed rozmową rekrutacyjną warto również zapoznać się z profilem pracodawcy.
Poszukiwanie pracy „out of the box” – warto czasami wyjść ze strefy komfortu i oprócz standardowego aplikowania w Internecie, można zadbać o bezpośredni kontakt z rekruterami za pomocą LinkedIn.
Wnioski
Nasz zawód nie musi być naszą największą pasją, ale ważne, by z chęcią i dużą dawką motywacji podchodzić do swoich obowiązków.
Jest to ważne nie tylko z punktu widzenia samego pracownika, ale też pracodawcy. Firma, która zapewnia swoim ludziom odpowiednie warunki rozwoju, atrakcyjne wynagrodzenie oraz poczucie sprawczości na danym stanowisku, ma większą szansę na zatrzymanie u siebie dobrego pracownika.
Badania pokazały jednak, że nie wszyscy odczuwają szczęście w miejscu zatrudnienia. To ważna informacja dla wielu organizacji na rynku pracy. Mogą one w rzetelny sposób sprawdzić czy ich pracownicy czują się dobrze i wdrożyć niezbędne rozwiązania, gdyby badania okazały się być mało optymistyczne.
Okazuje się, że to najmłodsi, czyli generacja Z wymusza na pracodawcach najwięcej zmian. Przedstawiciele tej generacji są pewni siebie i otwarcie sygnalizują to, z czym się nie zgadzają. Sugerują pracodawcom to, co chcieliby usprawnić lub uzyskać. Jeśli tego nie otrzymują, bez mrugnięcia okiem zmieniają pracę. Nie chcą tracić czasu na coś, co nie przynosi im satysfakcji. Podkreślają również tzw. work-life balance – poczucie spokoju i odcięcia się od spraw zawodowych po godzinach pracy jest dla nich niezwykle ważne.
Podsumowując, każdy człowiek dąży do osiągnięcia szczęścia. Dla każdego z nas ma ono inną definicję, ale praca to nieodłączny element naszego życia i warto, by zadbać o nasze spełnienie również tam.
Leverage the Role of Talent Development for Overcoming Acceleration
The pandemic brought up a global acceleration in technology adoption as well as the needs of flexible but consistent integration schemes (integration between long- and short-term strategies, integration of business channels and acumens, global and local approaches).
The New Normal is about adjusting the future right now. It’s a temporary trend that pulls future outcomes on current needs. From now on, there will always be a new kind of “new normal,” with a different level of complexity, that both employees and companies will have to deal with.
How should companies support people’s future helping them gain the skills for the next scenario?
In order to embrace transformation and business evolution, people management should be about strategic skills-mapping and a careful workforce plan. The workforce assessment opens the opportunity to quantify long-term talent requirements by assessing successions needs and roles competencies. Particularly, development plans and talent management are part of the circular strategy ensuring company vitality.
How are companies facing transformation?
Replacing people or firing them is definitely not a long-term solution. Excellent companies are setting up dedicated Talent Development programs towards upskilling and reskilling projects. Running upskilling programs means to strive for people in the adoption of new skills for covering their current positions. Competitive companies that are focusing on re-building the organization frames are running reskilling programs for enabling people to pick up new skills for a completely different job. Reskilling and upskilling culture is successful if leadership promotes a learning culture and if HR processes, such as talent management and performance assessment, are aligned with the business company strategy. Competitive companies encourage employees to adopt a continuous-growth mindset.
Companies that have yet to revise or build their Talent Management strategy are leaving employees on a self-directed approach, holding more traditional options or random skills development solutions.
Nowadays, Talent or Employer value proposition is not only a matter of Why, “Why should an employee choose to work in your company instead of another one?”, but it is also a matter of “main features” in terms of What, “What should your company have for attracting employees?” Thinking about future situations in which people can maximize their performance could bring up the same advice from the most important Organizational Development Theories:
Company Culture: it creates the conditions to thrive Talent
Excellent Leaders: coaches and facilitators with strong ethic Values, with the abilities to motivate, enable, and integrate a group of people towards common goals.
Sustainability: global attention to the impact of the company.
Long-term Strategy: integrated with an agile approach.
Transparency: creating the environment for more fluid feedback conversations between leadership and employees.
Consistent Competencies Models: ensure meritocracy and trust.
Listed above are HR strategies and decisions that, of course, cannot solely run on Excel spreadsheets. People are not file records: they act and react, choose, think, feel and communicate. Employees’ behavior is not 100% predictable and leaders should take into consideration people’s unique qualities and mannerisms. HR foundation skills are about creating a big picture of the environment, consistently communicating, translating old procedures into on-line and digital tools, analyzing data, and thinking prospectively. It is also important to point out one of the most strategic HR features: a strong cross-functional collaboration.
The inspirational and visionary value that a new HR style could bring is collaborating with marketing in terms of reputation and communication: “One of the most important company customers are its own employees”. With HR being a business function, the operative value could be strictly collaborating with the finance department as well as interpreting reports and complex data towards the market needs.
Leaders, in general, should take into consideration their actions and responses. Poor decisions in people management could result in varied employee reactions that could cost reputation, trust and money. A weak HR vision could beget huge risks and costs for organizations.
The current digital context that our global society is facing has a significant impact on the development of new business and management models for organizations. The changes are taking place so quickly that the survival of many companies and businesses is at stake if they do not join the digital age. The change is taking place both in social and personal relationships as well as in our consumers, in our public of interest and in the collaborators of the organizations.
Digital transformation is the combination of business strategy and operations with technological innovation, as well as the design of new services (or the redesign of existing ones) to rapidly increase productivity and growth in the value chain: business models , products, customer experience and operations. . .
Similarly, the attraction and retention of talent is a great challenge in this process for organizations. People are increasingly digital, therefore, digital skills are becoming the core of the needs of all organizations and sectors.
It is essential to understand and know how to analyze the situation in which we currently live. The skill lies in being close to our target audience to give them exactly what they need. Personalization, simplicity and immediacy are some of the keys to face this new stage.
Products and services have undergone a true revolution, and value-added services that take advantage of new technologies to generate a direct impact on the customer experience will continue to appear. The optimization of channels and processes as well as the change of the internal culture of companies is a priority in this dizzying digital age.
There are many opportunities and threats that this new scenario poses for companies, for this reason, most organizations are turning to new skills and leadership to successfully drive this transition.
It is due to this accelerated transition that at Consea Group we carefully study and analyze our opportunities for the implementation of new technologies, which have allowed us to facilitate and streamline the development of our processes, migrating a large percentage of face-to-face work to remote, innovating and positively adapting to this new organizational culture, which as a result has streamlined and strengthened contact and experience with colleagues, clients and candidates (local and global).
Authors:
Enríque Pedroza - Business Development Manager, Consultor Senior & Headhunter
HR China: 5 steps to supporting employees during organizational changes
Geopolitical challenges, tightening of China-US relationship, and China’s Zero Covid Policy have disrupted the current economic environment, reshaping supply chain and driving changes on businesses. Indeed, many companies are rebuilding their organization structure on operational level – hybrid work model - and on structural level – mergers & acquisitions, split-off or closure of business.
Changes in the business model have an impact on the overall operations of the company and on its employees, redesigning workflow, potentially affecting employees’ roles, scope of responsibilities, location, and in worst-case scenario, laying off people.
In a scenario where disruptions and changes are the agenda, Human Resources are central and critical in designing internal organization restructures, developing, and implementing action plan, and ultimately but most importantly in supporting employees in adapting to changes.
How to support employees in adapting to changes?
We, Consea Group, have highlight 5 key elements for you. (add hyperlink of Consea homepage)
Understand the change
First and foremost, understanding changes is fundamental. Why are we changing, what needs to be done, how do we move from point A to point B, are key questions you need to have answers to. Without knowing the whys, it is difficult to believe and drive the changes.
Effective communication
Once identified the whys, action plan and how, take time to communicate and explain it to your employees. Consistency and clear communication are essential. Do not limit to simply informing them, rather make sure they understand the reasons behind and be present for their doubts and concerns.
Remember the intangible
Organization changes have impact on the personal level too! Remember the emotional and intangible elements. Have the leadership to speak first. Ask them to share with the team how they interpret the changes, what are their thoughts. Create connection and a support system where employees feel safe to share their own experiences, by letting leaders showing up first.
Un-learn and Re-learn
Often, changes are seen as threaten to an already established and functioning system. It is human to show resistance and refusal to changes as it is mining what is familiar to step into the unknown. Thus, it is important first to un-learn behaviors, patterns, and systems in order to re-learn during time of changes and building resilience.
Involve, collaborate, co-create in times of changes
To facilitate the transition, involving, collaborating, and co-creating with employees during and after the changes give employees ownership in the change, consequently becoming more likely to support said change. Moreover, it helps to find synergies and eliminate/limit complexities.
Changes can be intimidating, but with the right combination of knowledge, communication, leadership and environment, HR and companies can support their employees and ensure a smoother transition during changes.
Authors:
Valentina Meng – Recruitment Consultant & China Social Media Manager
Chiara Altomonte – General Manager and Head of the Fashion & Retail division
Nowadays, investing in young people should not just be a slogan, but the best strategy companies should adopt to grow, innovate and gain competitive advantages over their competitors. Regarding Consea Head Hunting's experience in managing recruitment processes with the younger generation, a certain rigidity shown by candidates is emerging, expressed especially in terms of demands related to hybrid working opportunities, career plans and business ethics. As a result, there is often a significant lack of motivation and engagement when faced with an offer that fails to detail or satisfy these aspects.
WHAT CAN ORGANIZATIONS DO?
To make themselves more attractive to the younger generation, companies should first of all understand what is actually being sought, and in this regard, there is an increasing emergence of the importance for young people being able to identify with company values in terms of sustainability (environmental, valuing diversity, inclusive approach and equity), ethics, training (with an important focus on soft skills, skills that can become an asset to the individual and not just a direct benefit to the company as is the case with technical skills), policies for investing in resources and sharing the expected goals and their consequent development plans envisaged not only in terms of vertical growth, but also about involvement in initiatives, task forces and projects aimed at the well-being of the internal community. Equally important seems to be the attention paid to the work-life balance, flexibility and wellbeing policies within the organization.
In terms of attraction and retention, an important role is played by the organization's external communication as the new generations put great importance to the company's website and its presence on social networks as well as, in general, its web reputation.
COMPANY AS COMMUNITY
This focus is symptomatic of the fact that nowadays the company is no longer considered a mere workplace, on the contrary, it increasingly constitutes a real community for new generations, who can appreciate opportunities of involvement that can allow them to come closer and share experiences with other employees belonging not only to different areas or functions, but also to different generations; of this a significant example could be reverse mentoring.
BETRAYAL OR OPENNESS TO CHANGE?
In conclusion, we can highlight one more peculiarity: increasingly, new generations are experiencing change as a development opportunity to enrich their skills and, therefore, the decision to leave one company for another should not be experienced as a betrayal; on the contrary, it would be much more functional for the organization to maintain relations with the resource who has changed reality by opting for a new context. This attitude could generate future opportunities for a new encounter and possible opportunities to reintegrate the resource, enriched by the new experiences gained in the meantime.
Authors:
Sara Ruffinatti – Senior Consultant & Executive Coach
Marzia Pio – Junior Consultant at Consea Executive Search
It is very difficult for people working remotely to maintain a work-life balance. As many as 39% of employees admitted that their mental health has suffered as a result of the pandemic (research conducted by Devire).
The biggest problems for employees are the feeling of isolation, monotony, uncertainty, stress. A big shock was the complete change in the mode of work – suddenly we stopped going to offices and were locked in houses (often in a small space that had to become our workplace).
Problems related to remote work
What bothered us most often? Definitely, the lack of work-life balance. It was difficult for the employees to organize their day in an effective way. The responsibilities related to the house took up our time and as a result there were tasks that we had to catch up after "leaving work" (in this case, leaving the room where we put the desk).
Communication between employees was also difficult. As many as 35% did not have the opportunity to exchange knowledge with a colleague. There is also disinformation (35%), and 20% of respondents point to the lack of efficient flow of information with the boss.
Isolation and loneliness
A sense of seclusion is another important aspect. Locked in the house, we were not able to change the environment. The only way was to go for a walk with the dog (which at one point was the ONLY LEGAL possibility to leave the apartment).
Nor can we forget that workers have been isolated from the rest of society together with their families, and this has also been tiring in the long run. Constant attempts to adapt their schedules (meetings) to children's online classes gave rise to conflicts – especially during the first weeks of lockdown.
All this caused a lot of emotions that were difficult to cope with. Each of us faced uncertainty. Every day we asked ourselves questions:
What's next?
How long will it take?
Will my position not be abolished?
2 out of 5 employees admitted that their mental health had been significantly affected – 49% of women and 32% of men. They were mainly young people (18-25 years old). Employees over 55 years of age, thanks to their many years of experience, have coped much better with the effects of the pandemic.
How to take care of employees’ motivation?
The most important thing is to pay attention to the differences between employees. Each of us has different needs, and this is often due to our age range. Generational difference is an important aspect that managers need to pay attention to.
For example, younger people pay attention to the company's profile. For baby boomers and X generation stability is the most important.
Employees’ mental health
The productivity of each employee is largely due to mental balance, which as a result of the pandemic has unfortunately been severely disturbed. The task of the team leader is to detect the problem, build a strategy and try to eliminate it.
For each of us, discipline and clearly set goals are important at work. On the other hand, it is important to have freedom in action and the trust of our boss. In a tricky situation, the employee should know who to go to for help and advice.
The organization should also create a culture that emphasizes the preservation of the already mentioned work-life balance. It is important that employees are taught to organize their work well – as a result, they will not have to spend the night to finish an important project. Each stage of the task will have its own deadline.
Motivation means also benefits – not only financial ones. The attractiveness of a given position and company itself is influenced by the possibility of development (interesting offers of trainings and workshops). Employees are always looking for a way to gain knowledge, and a good leader should provide them with the best possible access to acquire new skills.
Another important aspect is building an integrated community and this is possible – even when working remotely. "Virtual coffees" are a good way to get to know your team members better and a nice way to spend time while working.
What is going to happen next?
The restrictions have long been lifted – even though the virus is still in the air. Many companies have not returned to the traditional mode of work and there are many indications that remote work will stay with us for good.
Saving on renting office space is one thing. The second reason is the lack of enthusiasm of employees at the news of the return to stationary mode of work. As many as 61% of respondents want to work from home! We got used to not rushing in the morning to make it to the bus. We do not have to deal with the traffic.
Consea and its Consulting Department aim to lead companies and help them implement a culture of attention to issues such as work-life balance or promoting DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) policies. We strongly believe that this goal has such a positive impact on the high level of motivation and productivity of employees working for organizations that have trusted us.
Authors:
Iga Paszkiewicz - Recruitment Consultant w Consea Executive Search
The emerging world highlights different needs than in the past: within work contexts there is a strong need to be able to rely on alternative skills, intelligences, and ways than those used until now.
Companies must find ways to represent ideas, ways and purposes that characterize their essence and express values and motivations by pursuing something they believe in, to inspire confidence both internally and externally. It therefore becomes increasingly important to be able to establish a strong emotional bond with employees and customers.
Our goal, therefore, is to pass on our knowledge and experience on soft topics, first among them, by way of example, Emotional Intelligence.
What's new at Consea Group: Human Capital Consulting.
Consea Human Capital Consulting was born with the aim of guiding companies through this process of change, developing strategic partnerships with our clients, supporting them in transforming today's challenges into tomorrow's successes.
Leading Consea Human Capital Consulting, in the role of general manager, will be Gabriella Carello. Gabriella's professional background has been built at the head of the Human Resources function, in various geographies and within important international industrial realities.
Expert and passionate about leadership, culture and organizational development, she brings to CHCC a solid and proven knowledge of so-called "soft" skills, first among which is emotional intelligence, which she has also gained through her studies at KEY Step Media, the school founded by Daniel Goleman, globally recognized as the top expert on the subject.
Joining Gabriella in the new challenge will be Sara Ruffinatti, an organizational psychologist and ICF-certified coach, trainer and expert in talent management solutions as well as a lover of innovative technologies and the experimentation of new tools for skills development.
The group will further be able to count on the experience of Paola Vasario, a historical figure at Consea Group who has a natural ability to seize and understand the needs of her clients.
Finally, Sara Brino, a psychologist and coach, a passionate scholar of organizational development issues, will be part of the team representing valuable support in the conception and execution of the various projects.
We have many initiatives in the pipeline, follow us on LinkedIn so you don't miss all the updates and projects we are developing!
Authors:
Chiara Altomonte – General Manager and Head of the Fashion & Retail division
Post-Vacation Stress or #Stresstember – How To Survive Returning To Work After Vacation
Returning to the office in September post-vacation may be a huge shock for many people. Relaxed after a summer rest, they cannot find themselves in their daily routine and are unable to work at full capacity; they have to catch up, meet new responsibilities and prepare for possible changes. Moreover, the weather changes and colder days keep coming! All of this causes enormous stress – employees are depressed, distracted, and deprived of energy and motivation. This year, an additional stress factor is also the ubiquitous coronavirus pandemicand related restrictions, which significantly affect the work environment and everyday life.
In order to overcome September stress, it is worth introducing a few small changes to your everyday life that will positively affect the quality of your work and well-being.
Here are a few of them:
1. Plan your time skillfully and set a priority list
Organize yourself in different areas of life – get an organizer, calendar or application for saving tasks and events and try to update them on regular basis. Prioritize your tasks and consider postponing or even cancelling events. Scheduling duties will help you avoid unnecessary stress and improve your quality of life.
2. Focus on one task
During your work, try to concentrate fully on one task and finish it before starting the next one. Many people consider multitasking to be a very desirable trait by which success can be achieved much easier and faster, however, this belief is wrong – many studies show that multitasking has more disadvantages than advantages. Multitaskers, while performing multiple tasks simultaneously, waste time on trivial things and the efficiency of their work decreases. Thus, they do not save their precious time – they distract faster and make mistakes more often.
3. Be assertive and do not take too much on yourself
Set your limits and do not be afraid to say no. Do not take on too many tasks and activities – try to maintain a balance between work and private life. You can also ask your colleagues for help at any time. You need to give yourself time to get back to your daily routine!
4. Think about the positive aspects of your job
Focus on the positive sides of your work – what values this job brings, what you learn, and which opportunities you have for personal self–development. You work in a great, well–coordinated team and you like what you do? Appreciate it and try to be positive!
5. Take care of your health
Taking care of your health will positively affect your productivity. Eat nutritionally rich meals, do not skip breakfast and avoid junk food! The better we eat, the more efficient and energetic we are. Be sure to get adequate rest, as well – try to sleep at least 7 hours and mantain the same daily bedtime. Also, remember to exercise – choose a sport you like and include it in your schedule. Physical activity releases endorphins that help fight stress and eliminate anxiety.
6. Take time to relax
You cannot forget about time for yourself! If your schedule is very tight, even a few minutes of meditation, a short walk, or a morning coffee within peace and quiet is enough to regenerate your body and mind and get away from your everyday life.
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