Over half the employees across the world expect companies to redesign work experiences that allow time and energy for family, health and learning, according to Global Talents Trends 2022 by consulting firm Mercer. They believe that a balanced life and business practices that are better for environment and society are some of the key factors that will define the future of work. Global trend indicates that energised employees have dropped to the lowest level in 2022 in the last seven years from 79% in 2019 to 63% this year. While in India the percentage of employees who feel energised at work remain high at 84%, the Mercer study showed that companies are resetting how employees relate to their organization and finding ways to replenish their collective energy.
Rethinking Work
The study done across 16 key geographies and 13 industries found that despite the depleting energy among employees due to hardships faced during the pandemic, 77% of them trust that their companies redesign work experiences that bring out the best in them. It points out that high growth companies are most likely to revaluate the purpose of work and seek to preserve the progress made in last two years of “digital collaboration, less siloed thinking and local decision making.” They expect to ensure that the new ways of working are scalable and do not contribute to inefficiencies. The report also warned that the crisis response strategies adopted during the pandemic could become a barrier to transformation. However, it stresses on the need for companies to continue to “empower employees while reducing complexity, clarifying expectations and being honest about workload.”
Reenergising employees
According to the study, employees today expect a balanced future where they are allowed time and energy for family, hobbies and learning. It highlights that in order to cater to the employee’s desire for choice and freedom, companies are relooking at ways to help their workforce rediscover the joy of working, learning and laughing together. Bureaucracy, inefficient technology, siloed working and teams cut too lean to keep up with demand have exhausted employees in the past two years. The report points out that the key to unlocking collective energy is to balance productivity and empathy. Some of the steps to replenish energy of employees include clarifying ways of working, addressing organizational complexity and designing a digital frictionless environment.” It emphasises on reducing noise in the system and increasing focus, and by making it easier for people to “concentrate, contribute and collaborate.” Key to unlocking collective energy is ensuring that business transformation and employees’ life experience are considered together, it said.
