Humanity First: Meeting the Needs of the Next Gen Workforce
“Bringing humanity back to work, employers will have to recognise that their employees are not human resources, but resourceful human beings...” Sid Madge
Millions of people around the world have used the pandemic and the enforced global pause it created to take a fresh look at their lives and work out what they wanted to do with the rest of it. The result: The Great Resignation, or The Great Re-evaluation, where many, many people decided that they didn’t want to go back to the pre-Covid-19 grind in a stressful job where they were underappreciated and dehumanised.
The balance of power has shifted away from employers offering zero-hour contracts, ‘take it or leave it packages’ with minimal wiggle room, limited flexibility or work which leaves their people totally unfulfilled. It’s time for a more human approach to re-enter the workplace - and it will be needed if employers are to attract and keep good people in this new world of work.
Every one of us is unique, and the one size fits all approach which many employers have adopted will no longer work. Instead, they need to embrace greater care, compassion and flexibility. To do good work, people need to feel trusted and empowered. Employers have learned that if they set clear outcomes and give people the freedom to complete those with flexibility around their lives then they are often even more engaged and productive.
The Next Gen of workers - Gen Z, now entering the workforce in significant numbers - are no longer happy to slide into someone else’s system unless it delivers on their purpose too.
Bringing humanity back to work, employers will have to recognise that their employees are not human resources, but resourceful human beings. They are not easily replaceable cogs in an industrial production system, they are people who either decide to engage and do their best work or go elsewhere. Humanity and flexibility are key.
At Meee, we believe there are three key characteristics which will differentiate the winning organisations from the losers in this new and challenging environment: Curiosity, Courage and Kindness.
- Curiosity: Encourage curiosity to explore every opportunity, seek unusual solutions, be imaginative and creative, to be more inclusive and tolerant of others. How can we be better? How can we make our workplace better? How can we be better employers? We need better solutions to the significant problems we face as employees and employers and together, with openness and curiosity we can find those solutions.
- Courage: Allow space for people to speak up. Encourage them to face adversity, think differently and be authentic. To have the courage to be truthful, accountable and flexible. Life is not easy and there's no shortcut to success. We all have a contribution to make in the various roles of our lives. Employers need to recognise that ‘employee’ is just one role, ‘mother’, ‘father’, ‘carer’ and many other roles need to be considered and accommodated.
- Kindness: Bring kindness and compassion back to education, the workplace and our communities. Listen, provide psychological safety, remove the fear. Kindness is a type of behaviour marked by acts of generosity, consideration, of concern for others, without expecting praise or reward. We all need to be the change we want to see in the world. We really do need each other.
At Meee, we’re here to inspire everyone, everywhere, every day to Find, Live, and Give their unique Magic. By embracing our roles as Magic Makers, we can transform ourselves, our organisations, and our communities. Together, let's build a better world. Join us on this journey and be part of the change, just ask@meee.global
Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash
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At Meee, we’re dedicated to inspiring everyone, everywhere, every day to Find, Live, and Give their unique Magic. As Magic Makers, we have the power to transform ourselves, our organisations, and our communities. Together, we can build a better world. Join us on this journey and be part of the change. Just ask@meee.global