Workplace culture is key to thriving employees

Customers are at the core of our business and our reputation. By embedding the same principles at the core of our #culture, we can professionalise customer-centric #behaviours.

To consider workplace culture, it's important to consider what the pandemic has taught us and how we need to adapt to the new landscape, says Lynn Kennedy , Intrum 's HR Director Markets for the UK and Ireland.

Speaking at Intrum UK's inaugural conference on #Outsourcing in #Collections, Kennedy said the pandemic demonstrated new levels of agility we never would have thought possible, and a new personal dimension to leaders never seen before. This change in setting shifted leadership styles emphasises the importance of human connection.

"Truly flexible and hybrid working can work," said Kennedy. "Connection and trust are key. Three in five workers had a positive feeling about the culture of their company during the pandemic because of the open and honest communication they received."

Kennedy added that well-being should be seen as a business priority rather than a workplace benefit and that employee priorities have shifted.

A shortage of talent and skills coupled with high levels of voluntary leavers make for a perfect storm. She said businesses need to accept that workers are increasingly willing to resign if they can't work in a flexible way. Companies are struggling to attract and retain talent, while in many places teams are experiencing unreasonable workloads and burn out.

"Some attrition is good attrition, losing disengaged and underperforming staff. There are actions we can take to address and manage retention; to foster and sustain a culture that attracts new talent and holds onto your superstars."

Her tips include…

• Ethical employment practices and accountability: Generation Z is particularly ethical and conscious – more likely to self-select or vote with their feet if they don't agree with the company's values or behaviours.
• Talent management and onboarding: Acquiring top talent and retaining it is key to creating an exceptional customer experience. From the point of offer, the onboarding experience should feel exceptional. Tap into your internal marketplace and create opportunity for personal growth.
• Reward and recognition: Everyone increasingly has different lifestyle priorities, this needs to be flexible and personal.
• Well-being is a core expectation: The approach to well-being should be a 'whole self' approach. Every organisation has a duty of care to its employees and personal resilience is particularly important for front line staff.
• Hybrid/flexible working is here to stay: Embrace the true meaning of flexibility in a way which is worker not workplace centric. Understand how the environment influences behaviour and where work is best performed

Kennedy encouraged businesses to think holistically about well-being and look to the four pillars of well-being: physical, mental, social and financial.

"Quality of life and well-being are top priorities for many – feeling well, safe and able to grow," she said. "Foster a climate of psychological safety at work, where people feel confident to express their views, to make mistakes and to own up to those mistakes."