Light at the workplace

A lot of things that appear simple are in a lot of cases, very significant and foundational. For instance, water and air on the surface may look basic but are very critical to life and existence. Sometimes, we focus more on what is less important or at the most is a byproduct of something of more lasting value. As an example, there is a common saying that “money makes the world go round”. However, if you look at it a bit more critically, you will realize that it should rather read “people make the world go round.” Without people, there will be no money dynamics or economics in the first place. In reflecting on global issues, it is important that we do not get oblivious of the role of people. Behind every economic growth, profit, sales milestone, national success is a group or instance of people.

In the world of Human Resources and by inclusion, the specialist field of Talent Management, the most effective and enduring tools to talent retention, diversity at the workplace, employee performance and business growth are all majorly people centric. No matter how intelligent a strategy is, people are required to implement it. ?Once again, the softer issues come to light! Yes, business strategy, corporate operating model, industry competitive advantage are all important, but the revolving dynamics always centre around people. At the very least, Human Resources, the field that is dedicated to managing people, has Human as the first word before Resources. The human element therefore helps us to leverage the resources, you can say.

How are humans wired? How are they different? How can we leverage their uniqueness to drive the productivity that is desired at work? Management can help to achieve corporate objectives, but leadership can bring the best out of people. Transactional leaders can extract fair value for fair reward, but transformational leaders can build people and get their loyalty and buy in for a longer period with more evident and sustainable outcomes.

To underscore the changing dynamics about people, a case in point is the realities about diverse demographics and generational dynamics in the workplace. Baby bloomers, Millennials and GenZs all act in different ways. There is an entire study dedicated to making the most of them. It has become clear that if we deemphasize the role people play, we typically do not get the best from them. ?

With humans at the centre, there is a common theme that I posit, is desired at the workplace. I call it “light”. Light indicates life, brightness, colourfulness, hope and success. There is the common phrase “light at the end of the tunnel” and in looking at light, it underscores what a lot of professionals want whilst on their career journeys:

1.???? Clarity: In this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world, people need some form of clarity to guarantee their interest and medium to long-term commitment. People want to be clear about how sustainable a business model is. People do not want to be kept in the dark about their career prospects. They want light. People want to be clear about what they stand to gain by joining a company. People want to know more about the company to make an informed joining decision. They want to see corporate governance, leadership and understand the employer value proposition. Information in this sense is no longer a privilege. It is now a right. The interview process is now both ways. Whilst the interview is interviewing the interviewee, the interviewee is interviewing the entire company.

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2.???? Fulfillment: Beyond the paycheck and fantastic reward packages, people want a sense of inner light, called fulfillment. They want to feel good that they have accomplished something and are having their goals ticked. This has occasioned a more demographic considerate approach to talent engagement and retention where employee needs are categorized based on specific needs such as housing, education, vehicle and equipment purchase, health and fitness and retirement amongst others. People want to join a company that helps them achieve their personal goals not abandon them. People are beginning to understand that beyond the workplace, they have identities and aspirations that they cannot completely shut out. Some companies ask employees to share about other hobbies outside work for instance and create some activities to show support. Some companies ask parents to show up with their children and/or spouses at work on a particular day to celebrate the importance of family. Conversations are getting beyond just work and pay. Conversations are now around a symbiotic partnership: help me achieve my goals, and I will help you achieve yours.

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3.???? Fairness and justice: With policies, processes, corporate governance and internal systems, a sense of fairness and justice is important to be fostered at the workplace. There are hundreds of multi-million-dollar law suits everywhere capable of causing reputational damage, dents to corporate branding and loss of market share to companies which could have been prevented if these were at the forefront. Nothing should look shady. Things should be clear as day. Policies and processes should be spelt out covering a wide range of likely and unlikely circumstances. There are renewed calls against discrimination and segregation at the workplace. It is becoming increasingly important to ensure that the workplace is not just inclusive, free and fair but seen as such. With all the attempts at driving diversity, this is a fundamental enhancer. Can everyone regardless of background, culture, gender or religion have a fair chance of success at your workplace? If not, there is work to do. ?

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4.???? Culture and team dynamics: Culture is not just what is described or desired, it is something depicted and demonstrated. Your culture is like your predominant thinking and evident behaviour. If most people act in a particular way, those collective actions are more demonstrative of your culture than what is on your website or on the banner at your reception. A lot of culture reflections are just prescriptive, recommending behaviours without diving deep to understand why people are predisposed to act in a particular way and then address the reasons why. If there is no deep dive, it could just be common rhetoric without the desired behaviours. For instance, what makes people aggressive? Is it the lack of support, fierce competition, lack of adequate resources or poor communication? Addressing the root issues typically helps to create a good foundation to build a set of desired behaviours. Sometimes, culture comes from modelling the personalities and behaviours of people termed to be successful in the company. In this sense, it is not just what is achieved but how it is achieved that should be seen as ?important. It is important to ensure that the right behavious are rewarded to send the right message. If not, a negative reference point for bad culture can be made. ?

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5.???? Leadership: People leave people before they leave organizations. How do you lead? Just as there are leadership styles, there are also followership styles. It is interesting how some companies spend a lot of time driving strategy from top to bottom but forget that teams at different levels will require the right kind of leadership to drive this. A lot of attention is paid to experience, skills set, technical depth and the like but in a lot of times, leadership is left out. Great leaders always stand out. Companies with resounding success have a track record of developing and replicating leaders. The success of Asian Tigers is linked to leadership. Behind South Africa is a story of leadership in the person of Nelson Mandela. Leaders fundamentally know that people matter and know how to unlock the best from people. Without leadership, no one is going anywhere up.

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6.???? Care: In the rat race that exists in the world, people want to feel cared for. That can come in form of welfare, appreciation, kind gestures, team bonding, a sense of belonging etc. Care typically is the feeling that someone genuinely has your best interest at heart. It implies that you are more than a statistic or a number and you actually matter. No wonder why some CEOs send a personalized note to each new hire or come in person to shake the hands of awarded staff or make a lot of noise on employee birthdays and personal milestones. Care drives a sense of belonging. It is not all about deadlines. Blood flows through employees. Treat them as people and you can click the right button that will set them up as high performing employees. Have you wondered why there is a high incidence of depression, suicide and crime? Maybe if the world cared better, people would turn out better. Makes sense, don’t you think?

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On the whole, light brightens us up. Light gets us going. When there is light, we can do more and be more. In the midst of all the targets, market competition, margins analysis, profitability interventions, whilst we work with people resources, one vital task we can request is “let there? be light.”

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