The way we work has changed forever, creating new paradigms for working and living.
I just returned from 4 days of HR Transform, where over 1600+ leaders shared insights and ideas around four major key themes: Human First, Social Impact, Digital Future, and Workplace Transformation.
Below are my five main takeaways any innovative leader, executive, or entrepreneur can consider when designing a new way to work to support their people fully.
1. Well-Being Underpins Performance.
Much was said about the importance of wellbeing and the ability to show up as your whole self.
Holistic wellbeing, mental health, financial wellbeing are top of mind for both leaders and employees. There are a lot of tech-driven solutions to add to your overall wellness and benefits package, but one thing is clear – you need to address each person as a human being and make the time to connect with them individually. Burnout is prevalent among founders, people, and business leaders. Building resiliency and understanding what to watch for and what actions to take are critical in preventing burnout. Then, when you need time off, speak up.
People prioritize wellbeing when choosing where to work and trusting leaders who show empathy, authenticity, and vulnerability. Wellbeing starts at the top of the organization. Don’t expect someone to take a sabbatical if you haven’t taken a vacation in 3 years. Invest in your people’s wellbeing.
Hurt people hurt people. Healed people heal people.
“Nothing is urgent,” said Mai Ton from the stage. Instead, take time to reflect and focus on your priority and make sure you make time for self-care and rest.
2. Employee Engagement In Remote Work Is Challenging With 67% Working From Home.
There are only so many Zoom happy hours and treasure hunts you can plan.
47% never want to set foot in the office again, and 42% only want to go once or twice a week. People want flexibility and freedom to choose where and when they work. Out of the office means missed opportunities for creativity and innovation. Despite tech advancements in the area, invest in activities that boost energy, creativity, and collaboration.
Free kombucha on tap doesn’t count. Get creative and plan something out of the ordinary. How about a company retreat to Baja to work on your team’s courage with the help of a transformational activity like swimming with whale sharks? You may be surprised to see what it can do for shifting perspectives and out-of-the-box thinking.
3. Work-Life Balance Gets Replaced with LifeWorkPlay Design.
With the Great Resignation’ and the ‘She-Cessation’ in full effect – there’s a shift of focus from work-life balance to work-life integration.
Languaging matters. When we place work first, we still show that we prioritize work instead of life. So instead of work-life integration, I suggest we call it LifeWorkPlay Design. We need to apply design thinking to how we redefine success and approach life, work, and play if we’re supporting the notion of humanity at work.
Now is the time to design how we fit our work into our lives instead of the other way around for more joy, fulfillment, and alignment and how we measure success.
3. Have Fun at Work.
“If you’re spending most of your awake time at work, why are we not having more fun?” asked Mark Lipscomb, VP, Employee Experience at Adobe.
Breaking down communication with humor workshop was well attended with people breaking through barriers and limiting beliefs by having fun.
The appetite for having more fun at work is there. We all know that creativity and innovation increase when people have more fun. In addition, people who have fun at work enjoy a positive mindset, higher levels of wellbeing, curiosity, and better mental health. No wonder there was a puppy lounge at the conference. Research has shown that happy people tend to be healthier, more inspired, productive, and satisfied in their job.
What is your company doing to address having more fun at work?
4. Unlocking Human Potential.
How can leaders unlock human potential and equip their teams to thrive amidst uncertainty? I had the pleasure to sit down with Christine Tao, Co-founder & CEO at Sounding Board; Cory Stern, Head of HR for J&J, Leadership and Career Coach and Business Advisor; and Geoff Watson, Senior VP for Guild Education. We talked about continuous learning and unlearning, emotional intelligence, wellbeing, fulfillment, personal and professional development, and mentoring to bring the best in people.
As a certified Human Potential Coach, I’ve personally invested thousands of hours into research, learning, practicing, and understanding how complex human potential and high performance is.
“A journey of a thousand miles starts beneath one’s feet” is a common saying originating from a Chinese proverb.
If you haven’t started your journey yet, today is a perfect day to do it.
Find your balance.
Building your resiliency to deal with uncertainty, stress, and overwhelm means making time and space to reflect on what matters and executing your goals and vision with laser focus. We all want to design a fulfilling life, spend time with family and friends and do meaningful work, and for that, we need to manage our time, attention, and energy better.