A Message from Our CEO – October 2022

Dear Friends,

Last week I interviewed a few of my clients on the topic of hybrid work. I wanted to know, “how’s it going?” The answer depended entirely on the level of flexibility that a company gives their employees. For employers that give managers complete autonomy to figure out the right mix of in-office and out of office work, engagement levels are high, productivity has improved, and turnover rates have held steady or gone down. For those companies that have stricter rules on the number of “in-office” dates (a range from 2-days in-office to full-time), turnover is up, and engagement is down. The message is clear: the less restrictions, the happier the employees. Makes sense. But the big takeaway from my interviews was when employers give a reason for coming into the office, then it seems to work. In other words, are you making it worth their while? One of my clients pays for commuting and provides lunch. Another has organized team building activities. Another has such engaged employers, they actually want to go in the office!

We still have not figured all of this out. There’s more to learn, but there is always a fool-proof method to begin motivating your employees. As Walt Disney said about his customers, “find out what they want and give it to them.”

Autonomy. Beats. Autocracy.

Warren