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I feel disconnected.
It's not the same- working from home.
My boss never has time for me.
According to an article published by Employment Hero in November:
- 30% of employees are active/continue to look for a new position
- @ 63% of companies are having a hard time keeping employees vs. hiring them
The full article is here: http://bit.ly/3sHiQhW
So, business owners and team leaders alike are struggling with how to engage their teams as working from home becomes the new commonly accepted norm in many areas of the US and in many industries.
It's funny- I've been working remotely for 18 years. And as an employee- it was tough because I had little ones at home at the time. I had to make sure they were quiet during phone calls (no Zooms back then) and make sure I had dedicated time where my kids were covered. And I did that. If they took naps, I worked. When they were in bed for the night, I worked. I got up at 5 am, and I worked.
Now with the pandemic, a lot of the prior "norms" for working from home have fallen by the wayside, and yet employees feel disconnected.
Why?
Are some people just not wired to work from home? I get that... a lot in fact. Some of my business clients have found some employees to be crazy productive working from home, and others have found grave inefficiencies emerge from once formerly productive, in office employees. I know when I used to have to go into an office, I'd pretty much chalk up the day to a loss- a day full of meetings without outcomes, and not being able to really get work done- at least not the way in which I was accustomed to and worked best- working from home- uninterrupted.
But the way I work best isn't necessarily the way others may work best. How do I know that? Read on...
Some may think it's strange; I don't really. And here's why.
First, I believe some people have instinctive talents that enable them to work a certain way. If I wasn't productive working from home, it wouldn't have lasted very long in addition to juggling my at home responsibilities. I set boundaries. I blocked my calendar. I was super organized and still am today. I know that I need blocks of uninterrupted time to work best. I know my most productive time of day is in the morning. My values were aligned with the clients and/or employers I worked with along my career journey. And when they weren't, I owned my career and made a change.
Second, people's needs, values and beliefs evolve over time. Likewise, so do an organization's. Some companies restructure every year; others, not quite as often. And so I think the pandemic has taught us that agility, planning for the unexpected and solving problems creatively are super important- and are needed skills in today's world of work- no matter if you're seeing people in person daily or working from home.
Third, as jobs have changed and job descriptions (hopefully) have been re-written, some people's strengths and talents have become misaligned to the role at hand, therefore causing lower productivity and low engagement. You simply cannot be motivated to do something you don't enjoy and that isn't a strength for significant parts of the day.
Over my years of experience in Human Resources (HR) and as a career coach, HR consultant and trainer, I've learned that you can't train or mandate passion and you cannot train or mandate motivation. It's intrinsic. But, if you knew the way each person on your team instinctively took action, that would be a game changer.
And so, if you, as an organization, manager or team leader are struggling with ways to keep your really awesome employees engaged and motivated, a great place to start is for them to learn about their natural conative talents using the Kolbe program. Each time I do a team training or personal interpretation, I love the smiles I see. It's all about what's right conatively, not what's wrong. And once a team understands their conative talents (your innate striving instincts and the natural way in which you solve problems), it eases the tension of personality conflicts and really enables teams to work together more productively based upon their natural talents.
It's truly a game changer. You know who to assign the super detailed work to, and who to pull in to brainstorm a new client product. You also learn who on your team needs all the facts before they move forward, and who is good with just a few facts and will quickly move on and make things happen. You'll understand why some people send really long emails, and others one-liners or worse yet- don't respond to email. You'll get way more out of them in a verbal conversation. These folks thrive on interruptions, others not so much.
No one way is right or wrong. Rather, it's about understanding these conative instincts and making sure they are matched to what jobs require.
Not sure what type of team you have, take this quick survey here now:
If you're interested in REALLY getting to know your team and keeping them engaged continuously, we should talk. The Kolbe isn't a once and done feel good type of team building, it's a real life changer- both personally and professionally, intended for daily implementation. It can change outcomes. It can boost cultures when you appreciate each person's natural talents. It's inclusive, not divisive.
Here is a quick video to learn more about the Kolbe program:
Don't you want more for your team in 2021? For you?
Here is a link to my calendar if you'd like to move forward in building a great team and opening those communication doors: https://letsmeet.io/julieshore/strategy-session
Julie Shore is a Kolbe Certified Consultant. Kolbe is used throughout the globe in large and small businesses alike. It is a results-oriented system that provides methods and models that maximize the human potential through the use of time and energy with immediately actionable results. Kolbe offers solutions for current teams as well as helping to ensure you hire the right person for the right role.