Steph Lund is the CEO for M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment North America. Steph oversees operations, client services and agency growth.
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2020 was a year of global disruption from which agency and brand leaders will see the impact for decades to come. One of the most important lessons companies and managers learned in 2020 is that employees are extremely adaptable. Seemingly overnight, millions of people started working remotely — many of whom had never worked outside of an office.
Today, the majority of people currently working from home want to continue to do so in some capacity, even after the peak of the pandemic is behind us. Employers have a rare opportunity to step up and reimagine what the workplace and its culture can look like for their employees. After over a year of working remotely and considering what future model works best to suit individual business needs, team leaders need to conduct honest evaluations about their workplace strategies as they develop their future office policies.
Management can no longer rest on what worked in years past. There must be a greater focus and accountability on staff well-being and how the last 18-plus months have impacted their lives, professionally and personally. Leading with compassion and approaching policies and infrastructure with empathy will drive greater impact on employee loyalty and morale than any incentive tactic that may have worked in the past.
The complexities of being a leader in 2021 have presented challenges that employers haven’t had to face in the last 10 years. It is a completely different world to navigate. Leaders must have the mental and emotional capacity to traverse the complexities of 2020 and 2021 and consider the broader impact on employee mental health, emotional well-being and professional motivation.
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For agencies and brands alike, this is a moment for exemplary leaders to stand out among those whose ideas and ideologies of the workforce are dated, and where traditional tactics that seemed like plug-and-play for years no longer resonate.
It can be a challenge to distill such complex, nuanced issues into simple layers of advice, but here are some key points for management to factor in when developing future policies:
Ensure your systems foster a level playing field. Tools that empower teams both in-person and remotely will be crucial to moving organizations forward. Don’t assume that every employee has the same comfort level with communication. Whatever your go-to platforms are, there might be a learning and comfortability curve based on level, years of experience and individual pace.
Be a leader, not a boss. Microsoft issued a report indicating that “41% of the global workforce is likely to consider leaving their current employer within the next year.” And likely this stat won’t change much over the next six months. Millions of employees are reevaluating their careers and priorities right now. They’re seeking out compassionate leadership and flexible approaches to working life. Forward-thinking employers should consider this moment a golden opportunity to examine individual and collective needs to deepen collaboration, creativity and reemphasize the value on each person. Offer employees more positive feedback, support them if they’re interested in exploring different roles within your company, listen to their ideas and share the “why” behind decisions. Most employees leave jobs because of mismanaged or negligent management, not bad companies.
Show up. More than ever, team leaders need to be team players, too. Join staff meetings that foster community (i.e., office programming that sits outside of the core day-to-day work). Be present and engage. Leaders who are involved and invested in their employees engender authentic dedication and motivation.
Build a community that prioritizes the individual. It’s crucial that employers build an environment that’s conducive to this new work-from-anywhere reality. Offer flexible hours and facilitate open communication among staff. Increase time and funding into internal programming that shows a commitment to DEI initiatives, mental health, volunteerism, remote community events and more. Be sure to spotlight individual and collective achievements and celebrate them openly. Adjustments that put people first will always strengthen the individual sense of value and sense of belonging.
Set the tone on employee well-being. It arguably has never been more important to support mental health. Acknowledge the effects of 2020 and its continuing impact on employee well-being. Establish that your employees feel seen and supported. Ensure you have the right healthcare policies in place, offer resources that support mental health awareness and conversations, reimburse employees for meditation and wellness memberships, or even offer up training to interested employees on topics such as stress management, burnout, anxiety, etc. Keep in mind that effective management can have the greatest impact on employee wellness, and ensure those actions are consistently taking place across your senior leadership team.
Bring humanity into focus. Issues that once fell outside of the workplace are now front and center at-work conversations. Accountability for leaders in and out of the workplace has arguably never been more spotlighted. Challenges with political discourse, human rights, social unrest, etc., need to be top of mind in every action and form of communication, both internally and externally. Employees want to see and hear from their company. Many will feel their organization lacks authenticity or humanity if leaders remain silent or neglect to acknowledge critical national or global issues.
Above all, it’s critical to view your staff as a group of individuals with varied needs and expectations rather than approach them as a mass collective. Carve out more time to connect one-on-one, offer benefits that foster greater employee engagement, and be patient and flexible. Leaders who acknowledge individual needs will not only engender loyalty but will also set the standard for a modern company culture that puts employee needs directly into focus.
Leaders who rose amid the disruption — leading with empathy, adaptability and a willingness to continuously pivot — are those who will come out on top. Their efforts will yield stability among their top talent and aid in attracting new talent. And perhaps most importantly, they will continue to foster an inspiring environment, no matter where this new work-from-anywhere reality takes us in years to come.
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Author: Steph Lund, Forbes Councils Member
