When employees feel a sense of loyalty to their employer, they show up and work hard. When they don't, it can be
Employees have been protesting what they view as poor treatment and unnecessary
These noncommittal behaviors point to wider workplace issues: A hybrid work survey from video conferencing company Owl Labs found that as more people are being called back into the office, stress levels are up and motivation is down. Forty-three percent of respondents reported an increase in stress, and 20% said they did no more than the tasks in their job description. Many are taking their frustrations public, with 34% admitting to trashing their job or employer on social media. This number jumped to 48% among Gen Z.
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But employers can do a lot to avoid or reverse these concerns, starting with a well-designed hiring process, says Frank Weishaupt, Owl Labs' CEO. He recommends establishing a sense of belonging immediately by introducing candidates to peers at the company, and recalls that the best interview experience he ever had was one where the entire process was outlined up front and there was a clear purpose to every step.
"It wasn't just this endless carousel of people trying to figure out whether or not I was the right fit, [which is] what employees are going through now," he says. "If you're being engaged by a company to speak about a role, and they're outlining and following the process, and they give you an expectation of what that time frame is going to be, you won't have anybody just not showing up for work on Monday."
Weishaupt shares his thoughts on how employers can build a culture of respect, value and support that keeps employees happy and engaged throughout their experience.
Encourage open communication and ownership
Employees should feel vested in their company, which can be solidified when they know their opinions matter. Leaders should establish an open-door policy with people right away and encourage feedback, even when it's critical, says Weishaupt.
When workers feel they can come to a leader with concerns, they are less likely to take their grievances to other channels, such as social media. This benefits the employer, but also workers as well, since various studies show that 60-70% of employers check job candidate's social media profiles and may get turned off by a rant about a former work experience.
"I consider all [employees] owners, and I want them to come to work with the expectation that they are an owner of the company," Weishaupt says. "If you have that mentality, you're going to think differently about the way you are willing to use external platforms to talk about your company."
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Offer a long-term career plan
The Owl Labs survey found that 50% of employees were concerned about a lack of career progression with their current company, and 21% felt a lack of engagement due to lack of growth opportunities.
Along with having candidates speak to current employees, Weishaupt advises employers to connect them with former employees who can share how their experience with the company helped them move to the next level in their career.
"If you show that you have a mentality of trying to work for the betterment of employees — their life, their passions and their career goals — how amazing would that be?" he says. "And if you're choosing between jobs, and you have one of those conversations, it's pretty easy to figure out which one you're going to go work for."
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Keep former employees involved
Having programs like an alumni network is a great way to keep former employees connected with the company and each other, which helps to sustain their positive feelings about an employer, says Weishaupt.
"People leave for one reason or the other, and that's okay," he says. "I love to have an alumni network where we have the opportunity to continue that conversation, because contributions matter. Whatever the future looks like for Owl Labs, two, five, 10 years from now, there will be people along the way that made incredible contributions to this company."
