By April In 2020, just a month after the start of the nationwide lockdown, 49% of workers felt warm and confused about the way their employers treated them, nearly double the typical 25% who felt the same way before the pandemic.
“Employees felt that companies responded quickly at the start of the pandemic with genuine concern for them, their work and their lives,” said Jim Harter, Gallup chief scientist for workplace management and well-being.
But these feelings did not last long.
In early 2021, employees began to see their employers as caring and engaged, according to Gallup data. And no matter what kind of work – the decline in wealth has affected all industries.
Gallup polls showed that by February 2022, employee cynicism had returned to pre-pandemic levels, with only 24% of employees saying their bosses genuinely care about their best interests.
Why does one in four Americans speak so badly of their employers?
“There were responses from employers in 2020 that employees found encouraging,” Harter said. “The leaders did a good job of conveying a sense of hope in an unknown situation, they made clear plans for the future and informed people about how they were going to help people work where they were, and all this is an element of caring.
“And then I think employers just went back to their normal lifestyle.”
Communication and flexibility key
When the country first entered Since the lockdown in March 2020, employers have stepped up, Harter said. Many have developed pandemic plans to keep workers safe, and they have been quick to communicate these measures. employees.
According to the survey, increased communication was one of the keys to higher employee well-being.
When employees felt their bosses had given them a clear plan of action to deal with the emerging threat of coronavirus, 73% of them strongly agreed that their employer cares about their overall well-being.
When employees said their boss keeps them up to date on what’s going on in their company, 78% strongly agreed that bosses take care of them, Harter said.
Another huge plus, Harter says, is that many employers have allowed employees to work from home and have been more flexible with work schedules throughout the day. This has allowed people to balance the ever-changing responsibilities of childcare, school and home during the pandemic, and to do their jobs well.
“Flexibility was key,” Harter said.
“Ironically, it was the most coveted perk before Covid, and then bam!” People had to really experience it. What was a really slow moving trend and pattern before the pandemic accelerated and turned into one of those events that just changes the workplace forever,” he said.
Why is it so important? According to him, the main reasons are reduced travel time and a better work-life balance.
The Gallup poll results point to this ongoing shift, Harter said: “We asked people what their preferences are for the future. About 9 out of 10 of those who work remotely want at least some form of flexible work, such as a hybrid job. or want to work completely remotely.
“I think it is important for employers to address this issue,” he added. “Because when we see a gap between preferences and how people expect their employer to react, we see lower employee well-being, higher burnout and lower engagement.”
Manager support
The Gallup poll showed that the decline in wealth was particularly high among managers. It makes sense, Harter said, because of the extra workload on these key positions during the pandemic.
New strains of the coronavirus have cast doubt on plans to return to work, making it difficult to communicate with staff. A record number of Americans have retired, quit or changed jobs in 2021, either due to Covid-19, wage and benefit increases, or age discrimination.
But those weren’t the main reasons workers quit, Harter said. Gallup research revealed two-thirds One of the reasons people left work was how involved they felt in the work and whether they felt they were being treated with respect.
In addition to a shortage of workers and an ever-changing landscape, Harter said, not all managers have received the training they need to adapt to the new norm of flexible work.
“Every employee has different situations at work and in their personal lives that only managers can understand. Good managers need their companies to train them on how to give people feedback and have at least one meaningful conversation every week with every employee,” Harter said.
“It helps to understand what each employee is working on and how they are moving forward so they can make adjustments. These conversations should happen more often,” he added.
Why Employee Wellbeing Matters
Focusing on the well-being of employees doesn’t just keep them from fleeing the ship, Harter says.
He says Gallup research has shown that teams that feel like the company cares about their well-being achieve higher profitability, productivity and customer engagement, and have fewer security incidents.
In fact, employees who feel cared for are 71% less likely to report burnout, are three times more likely to show interest in the job, and are five times more likely to actively promote their company as a good place to work. In addition, workers 36% more likely to say they are doing well in their lives.
“This spring and summer will be a great opportunity for forward-thinking organizations to put in motion something that can improve worker well-being,” Harter said. “They can talk to employees about flexible working hours and what makes them more productive on an individual basis. What leads to better collaboration with your team and how can we deliver maximum value to customers in this flexible environment?
“Employees want to do all of this,” Harter added. “So if leaders can use the structure of how work is done and how it can fit into a person’s life, employee well-being is likely to increase.”