As I leave a recent in-person event at the office, I reflect on how much more common this feeling of energy and connection was pre-pandemic. I reflect on this fondly. I wonder: Will we ever restore the same degree of joy in the workplace again? In the same week, I log in from home to my first 7 a.m. call in a series of back-to-back meetings, and I think, “I’m so thankful I don’t need to go into the office today.”
The ultimate challenge faced by organizations welcoming employees back into the office is that the value of working together in person is difficult to measure, because productivity is no longer a clear differentiator. In fact, coming into the office can feel a lot less productive than churning out a workday in your home office. If someone is getting their work done, why on earth would a manager (in a tough talent market) compromise their employee’s job satisfaction by asking them to go into an office?
But are we all satisfied with our jobs right now? According to Gallup’s new State of the Global Workplace Report, only 21% of employees are engaged at work. A paltry 33% say their overall well-being is thriving. Forty-four percent say they’ve felt a lot of stress just within the last day. Why is this? Didn’t we embrace a better working model throughout 2020 and 2021, leaning into remote and flexible approaches to work? Hasn’t productivity maintained, or even increased, across the board? What’s missing?
Looking at productivity alone (i.e. getting your job done) is not the same thing as job satisfaction, and while extremely tangible to measure as a business objective, looking at work productivity alone is short-term and near-sighted. Getting your job done doesn’t create bonds, relationships, connectivity, loyalty, trust, or a deeply-rooted social network—essentially a local work community or ecosystem. I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe that the companies that know how to strengthen all these areas will become differentiators in their ability to manage turbulent times, be resourceful, and retain strong cultural values that drive performance.
When it comes to connection and community at work, we need to be cautious we have not too quickly traded them away for the convenience of remote work. But how do we do this when remote life has become so coveted (and frankly, for many, now a necessity)? A social community needs care and feeding, grass-roots buy-in, and engagement. Organizations will need to focus on this in order to restore workplace joy.
Culture starts with people managers
If social media is any indication, our physical disconnection from other humans at work is bound to only lead to further discontent and isolation over time. The office had its downsides and drawbacks, but if we’re to stem the flow of employees from The Great Resignation—and to reverse the trends related to engagement—we need to be able to identify the benefits of what it actually was those offices provided us. Surveys like this one—showing that Gen Z is the least fulfilled, most unhappy working generation— indicate we shouldn’t be complacent looking ahead.
So, what can managers do to reinforce the importance of connection and community? I think it starts with embracing the idea that the definition of “manager” has truly evolved. Sure, a manager will always be responsible for the business goals and KPIs of their team. But today, equally as important—maybe even more important— is the responsibility of fostering greater belonging and purpose. There’s obviously not going to be a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to employee engagement and well-being (try even getting your team to decide whether they prefer Zoom or Teams), but there are some basic truths by which we can operate.
In the aforementioned Gallup study, the authors mention that burnout’s biggest source is always some version of “unfair treatment at work.” Respondents cite unmanageable workloads, unclear communication, lack of support, and unreasonable time pressures. All those arrows point in one direction: Up toward managers.
The point is, even if it’s hard to predict what will work for employees across the board when it comes to hybrid work environments, it’s important to remember that, above all else, people just want to be treated fairly and understood. Gallup goes so far as to say that a manager’s effect is so significant that they can predict 70% of the variance in team engagement simply by getting to know the boss.
So, when considering what employees want and how to set them up for a successful future, make sure you take into account the key factors that can lead to burnout and dissatisfaction. Because unity starts with making sure everyone understands and embraces their role—and feeling like they’re a valuable part of the team.
To be clear, remote work is a blessing we all needed, and clearly, it’s here to stay for a very good reason. Those of us who have worked in offices are well aware that sharing a physical space with someone five days a week does not mean you’ll necessarily talk to them in any meaningful way, let alone build a close relationship. We need to drive intention and purpose as we look at when, where, and how employees connect with each other. The office on its own does not accomplish this—, it just historically more easily facilitated it.
If leaders abide by an overarching philosophy of empowerment and collaboration, one that makes room for understanding and individualization, they can work with employees to balance needs alongside wants. They can lead with the perspective that they are not there to manage people, but instead, enable the success of the team.
It’s about bringing the best parts of in-person engagements (community- building activities) and the best parts of remote work (supporting individual needs) together—combining them into something that, on balance, everyone can buy into and get value from. It basically boils down to this: People need to understand why they are being told what to do, and wherever possible, they would like to be empowered to have a say in it.
This might seem confusing and vague, because what I’m saying is there is no magic formula for what the future of work looks like. But that’s the good news. It means leaders, in partnership with their teams, are coming up with their own rules based on what actually works for them. The foundational message in these conversations can be: “We don’t know all the answers, but let’s have fun trying to figure out what this means for us.” Trying, and accepting some failures, false starts, feedback, and iterations is part of any innovation process.
At SAP, we enacted our “Pledge to Flex,” a philosophy dedicated to enabling employees to work in a way that supports their own needs in alignment with organizational objectives. We are supporting with guidelines, foundational principles, and resources and from there empowering those at the team level to workshop their own hybrid work arrangement plans.
Then I can see that going to work becomes kind of like going for a workout. You might not be motivated to do it at first, but it will make you feel good, and if you do it enough, you’ll start to see results.
What I hope is included in every team plan is the KPI of joy. Let’s not forget how it feels to build a community around us to engage ourselves in the joy of work.
Megan Smith is the head of HR for SAP North America.
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