As employers enter 2022, it seems the war for talent shows no signs of slowing down — so what will it take to keep current
According to the hiring resources company
Dr. Jacinta Jiménez, psychologist and vice president of coaching innovations at
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“As employees, we are productive, but as humans, we need our well-being nurtured,” says Dr. Jiménez. “Making your people feel cared for can take your teams and organization a long way.”
Employee Benefit News spoke with Dr. Jiménez to get a deeper look into the mental state of workers and what employers need to foster a healthy workplace that retains its employees.
As workforces continue to face a global pandemic and labor shortages, what can you tell us about the state of workers right now?
Even before COVID, burnout was already a growing epidemic in itself. Then you put COVID on top of that, and people are really struggling. What we find is that a large portion of employees are languishing. Languishing is characterized by dissatisfaction, apathy, listlessness and a loss of interest — it is the absence of mental health. We think of languishing as the neglected middle child. If left unchecked, it can lead to a decline in performance and empathy and eventually lead to a decline in physical and mental well-being.
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Languishing is not quite depression, but it’s crucial that organizations think about how they can guard their employees against falling into a deeper level of languishing, which can spill over into depression. That’s why investing in employee well-being is a huge priority, especially in this ever-changing world of work we’re living in.
How can employers put well-being first in their workplace?
It’s really about building a community and promoting positive relationships. At BetterUp, we found that belonging right now is at an all-time low. Despite improvements in productivity, employees are feeling more excluded at work. We're not feeling that sense of community. Humans are highly resilient because we've survived for centuries in tribes. If there's a breakdown in the community, that hurts an employee’s morale.
Employers need to build out the conditions for psychological safety. Psychological safety is a term coined by Harvard business school professor Amy Edmondson, and it’s when the group has a shared belief that it's safe to engage in interpersonal risk-taking. This means someone feels safe enough to voice a vulnerability or dissenting opinion and not feel they will be penalized for it. When we have psychological safety, feelings of certainty increase, and feelings of courage increase. Teams want to take more risks because they feel the team will have their back.
Why is psychological safety such an essential building block when it comes to well-being?
People don't realize that social exclusion is painful. The pain we experience when we are excluded happens on a physical level. A 2004 study out of UCLA by Naomi I. Eisenberger and Matthew D. Lieberman looked at areas of the brain that become activated when people feel excluded. They found that the brain regions involved in registering physical pain tracks social pain as well.
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This shows how profound that experience of exclusion can be for a human being. And that experience has been prolonged because of the pandemic.
How can our leaders create this kind of environment for their teams?
Managers are oftentimes the stewards of culture. They are social architects, and they can be powerful well-being advocates. So they must be growing certain skills, like relationship building, authenticity, social connection and compassion.
Compassion is especially important in promoting inclusion in a group experience. I like to think about compassion as empathy in action. There's the thinking component of “I understand you.” Then there is the feeling component of “I feel for you,” which is tied to empathy. Compassion goes a third step deeper and it ties into that motivation piece of, “I want to help you.” Compassion fosters conditions for belonging, creates connection and takes us away from self-focus, which increases collaboration and ultimately promotes trust.
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We also need leaders who have a growth mindset. Well-being and compassion at work are these newer concepts, and leaders don't have to get it perfect right away. They should be invested in developing their emotional and social intelligence — it doesn't come naturally to everyone and we can always get better. Leaders who can stretch themselves, try new things and learn new skills are the ones that will prevail.
What are some of the biggest ‘don’ts’ for those striving to be good leaders?
Don’t just assume you have all the answers. I think it's easy to do harm without intending to do so. I encourage people who are trying to develop their leadership skills to come in with a lot of humility. Leaders should also avoid taking their team members’ efforts for granted. I am a big proponent of recognizing, affirming and rewarding accomplishments.
Don't forget that your employees are people, and they are trying. It's a tough time right now, and it's important to care for your employees as people first and foremost. If you take care of your people, they'll take care of your organization. It’s as simple as that.
