Jinny Rietmann: Answering the tough questions
Published 5:43 pm Tuesday, April 11, 2023
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In-person work or remote work? Face-to-face customer service or virtual service? How to maintain a positive work/life balance? These are all questions that private business and service organizations have been plagued with over the last couple of years. More recently COVID-19 has been more at bay, yet employers are still facing these decisions as we’ve all realized our work worlds will never be the same. The challenging part is that customers and employees alike are asking for it all!
A recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) showed 48% of workers said, “they will definitely seek a remote position for their next job.” Yet, employers are also hearing that people want more human interaction, that they are lacking in one-on-one supervision and mentoring time with their supervisor, and that they are disconnected from the workplace culture. The latest GALLUP survey shows only 22% of employees “feel connected to my organization’s culture.” There are many studies that show the impact of feeling connected, from better productivity to positive employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. We need human connection in our businesses to achieve success. So, how do we do both?
In addition, customers are demanding self-service options along with more personal, human interaction – to most this seems to be an oxymoron?! We see the dichotomy every day, from the long lines at the self-checkout at Target to customers continually seeking a “real person” to answer a customer service line.
So how do businesses navigate these demands? Hybrid work is one option, but it doesn’t work for every person, every position, or every company. Many businesses are changing their entire process for onboarding and training, and their expectations, based on new norms created by our societal demands in the workplace, even if they haven’t changed their work schedule or employee’s ability to work remotely. Most businesses have also changed their customer service model to meet demands of both sides of the coin, those who want more personal service, but maybe offering it in a virtual setting. Quality vs. quantity.
One thing to consider is participation vs. engagement. I’ve been talking about this theory for awhile now with our board of directors. We’ve found we have much better participation when individuals are able to join remotely and not have to travel, however engagement is deeper and more meaningful when we meet in person.
This isn’t the same for every type of meeting of course, but it’s an interesting consideration when planning meetings, events, and customer service strategies. Many employers are also finding it critical to have ongoing conversations with staff to determine how their needs and preferences have changed, sometimes month to month, along with potential recruits. Figuring out the best way to help employees stay is a more affordable option than hiring new; where we used to have to review employee manuals every ten years, this may be a bi-monthly conversation. Just like everything else in our world, times are changing quickly, and employers are being asked to change their practices quickly to keep up with competitors.
Many articles have forecasted what the future of work will look like, but it seems hard to tell. The next few years will certainly be interesting, and we will look back on our pre-pandemic work world with awe and feel as if it was forever ago.
If you are a local business owner, Human Resource professional, or someone working in the workforce development space, we would love to have you join us at the 2023 Workforce Forum in Rochester, MN. Registration for this event is free and can be completed at www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-workforce-development-forum-tickets-519989551747.
Below are links to a few relevant articles to this topic.