Beyond the laughs – Valuable leadership lessons from social media humor
What every leader can learn from TikTok star Corporate Natalie
We’ve all seen the memes, TikToks and other social media content poking fun at workplace norms, remote work struggles, and co-worker relationships.
As a self-proclaimed “aspiring TikTok star,” @corporatenatalie rose to influencer stardom last year when she began creating short videos that highlighted the uncharted territory of working from home during a pandemic. Her Instagram and TikTok accounts have since grown to over a half million followers, and there’s no question why. Her content has been explosive with millennials and gen Z, but will likely resonate with anyone in the workforce. She highlights what so many of us struggle to put into words; the awkwardness of video conferencing, return to office anxiety, challenges connecting with co-workers from home, and more.
While influencers like @corporatenatalie can give us a good laugh, I believe we can take away more than a smile. Her content sheds a light on opportunities we have to better support our employees as we look ahead to a forever changed workplace. Here’s a few things we can all learn from @corporatenatalie:
Normalize stepping away for breaks
We’ve all read the studies and know the importance of taking breaks. Whether it’s a quick walk or lunch break, does your work model support breaks at home, as well as in the office? Encourage employees to intentionally reserve time on their calendar for breaks.
Check-In On Your Employees
Whether you’re still remote, in an office, or evolving to a hybrid environment, it will take a lot of time to solve the mental health challenges many employees are facing. Connection is more important than ever. Be sure to ask the question behind the question “how are you doing?”. Inquire about their personal interests and ask what you and your credit union can do to support their wellbeing. Asking once isn’t enough – be sure to incorporate this connection point into your regular cadence of 1:1 meetings.
Lead by example after hours and during time off
With PTO banks at an all-time high due to limited travel opportunities, encourage employees to use their PTO and help them truly unplug. A leader I work with recently turned off his phone during his vacation, and his team said they felt more empowered to do the same. Leaders really do set the tone here! This includes email after hours. Unless there’s an emergency, consider scheduling your email to be delivered the following business day.
All laughs aside, the pandemic has surfaced some opportunities to re-think how we work and enable our employees to be their best. With these pearls of wisdom and new perspective, let’s be more intentional than ever to connect and engage our employees.
EVENT: BD Now – Elevate!
Elevate from SEG Vendor to SEG Partner
Join Chary and Molly on February 22 for a session of Julie Ferguson’s business development training program.
BD NOW welcomes back human resource experts, Chary and Molly to help us move from SEG vendor to SEG partner. Building a value driven partnership with human resource contacts at SEGs requires research, connection, and creative thinking. We will work together to build a sample one-year plan for SEG touchpoints that are value-driven and work toward a true partnership.
EVENT: 2020 Marketing & Business Development Virtual Workshop
Reframing your Business Development Strategies
Overview
Join Chary later this year for a virtual session where she’ll be discussing best ways to build HR relationships among SEGs.
Details
Date | September 10, 2020
Time | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST
Learn more information about registration and the virtual event below!
Sponsored and hosted by:
Putting people at the heart of return-to-work plans
There’s an end in sight for the days of remote work, drive-up member service, and A/B shifts. So, how are you preparing? Most return-to-work plans focus on logistics like sanitization and scheduling, but it’s important to consider how we prepare and engage our people in the process. Here are five actions you can take to ensure a successful re-entry:
Get your house in order
Many employees are craving routine and community, and we need to be ready. With all the details that will plague us, it’s important to lead with social distancing guidelines and some quick wins to get the ball rolling.
Action: Consider repurposing conference rooms, lunch rooms, and other communal spaces to allow for more distance. Be thoughtful about the shared workplace activities where employees come together like recycling bins, printers, and entry points.
Engage employees in the solution
Last week, Chary Krout shared how leadership will impact employee experience now more than ever. She called out the importance of including employees in the return-to-work conversation, and to be clear that this process will involve compromises, and the goal is to find the best solution for the employee and to ensure team deliverables can still be met.
Action: Create an exercise for departments to revisit team deliverables and goals, and reprioritize as needed. Then, talk to each of your employees to understand any unique working or scheduling needs and share the plan back to the team.
Connect on a personal level
Stress and anxiety levels are higher than ever. Additionally, some employees are dealing with logistical challenges such as child/senior care, limited public transportation, and empty PTO banks. Don’t overlook the importance of asking questions and listening to see how you can help.
Action: Have frequent and personal check-ins with your employees. Even a 5-minute phone call just to see how they are is meaningful. If they’re struggling, encourage them to reach out to Human Resources or remind them of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Review employee goals and expectations
Work has changed over the past five months. Employee’s goals, job role and schedule might look vastly different. There’s no better time to come together, review goals, identify any changes and re-align expectations.
Action: Schedule a 1:1 dedicated to the employee’s role and responsibilities. Consider: Is there a change in the goals and what is expected? Will a different schedule be requested or required?
Prepare your people for what’s next
Credit unions are going to need to remain agile and pivot to address the ever-changing market conditions — and so will our employees. Focusing more resources on professional development will not only help employees feel valued and grow their resume, but better equip your credit union for any future business disruptions.
Action: Prepare a customized development plan in partnership with your employee. Include a focus on technical skills, but don’t forget soft skills like resiliency and adaptability. Make sure you help your employees set aside time to complete plan activities and share their learnings with others.
With so much content and advice for businesses on the future of our work and how to prepare our workplaces, we can’t lose sight of what we’ve put at the center of our organizations for decades – the people. If you’re able to put your employees at the center of your return-to-work plan, you’ll not only ensure engagement, but demonstrate compassion—something we’re all craving right now.
Leadership will impact employee experience now more than ever
How we return our people to our offices and branches will be one of the most important employee engagement activities this year. Not only will our re-entry impact the bottom line, it will also impact our engagement survey scores, employees’ decisions to stay or look for other opportunities, and how they share their experience with members and prospective hires.
So, as leaders, are we ready to challenge our personal working preferences to ensure the best employee experience? Here are a few questions to consider:
Have employees been successful at home, and can they continue to work from their home offices?
Have managers set clear expectations and understand how employees are performing both in and out of the office?
Can managers build connections with employees, manage performance, communicate messages and give recognition remotely?
Are there differences in how teams or departments work that could allow for unique return-to-work plans?
Can everyone participate in return to in-office decisions?
As leaders, we need to assess our current beliefs, understand the true state, and then take action. Time is passing quickly, so here are a few actions you can take:
Come from a place of empathy: Start by acknowledging that COVID-19 has been and is a shared experience for us all. Acknowledge that each employee is unique and psychological safety comfort levels will vary.
Engage employees in the solution: Invite employees into the return-to-work conversation. Create an exercise for departments to revisit team deliverables and goals, and reprioritize as needed. Then, talk to each of your employees to understand any unique working or scheduling needs. Be clear that this process will involve compromises, and the goal is to find the best solution for the employee and to ensure team deliverables can still be met.
Communicate the why: Make sure shared goals and values are not forgotten in this process. Remind employees of why their work matters. If having employees in an office/branch is needed, be clear about why, and make sure they know how you are keeping them safe. Communicate often and make sure there is a ‘source of truth’ where employees can get the information they need.
Create or revisit remote working resources: With a long-term mindset, look at your work from home policies and practices and re-evaluate how managers and employees will connect for 1:1s, dispersed team meetings, etc.
Don’t be afraid to do the right thing: In the absence of a playbook, put humanity first— listen and find solutions in partnership with employees. An A/B schedule can ensure you have a response if someone complains, but being inclusive will drive employee engagement.
Don’t let your personal preferences and beliefs interfere with one of the biggest employee-impacting decisions to date. When you engage employees in the process and solution, they’ll feel an increased commitment to the credit union, their team and your members. Now more than ever, we must live out our mission of “people helping people.”
CU Times Feature: Let’s All Set Fire to the Burnout Epidemic
Everyone handles work-related stress differently, but for me, the feeling resulting from a towering pile of projects is pretty distinctive. I imagine it’s what the early stages of being suffocated would feel like, and goes something like this: My carefully-planned to-do list is set for the week. I’m comfortably busy at work, but have enough breathing room to schedule in a few workouts, a happy hour and time to prepare healthy meals. Then, within the span of a few hours, an email comes in from another department requiring follow-up, a co-worker stops by my desk with a stack of documents that need my attention, and someone from the executive team emails about a new campaign I must set in motion.
These unexpected projects, some of which have no clear directions or set deadlines, wipe out that sense of calm I had earlier, replacing it with panic, a loss of control and even resentment toward those who unapologetically came along to ruin my plan. Feeling overwhelmed, I step outside the office for a few minutes to gain my composure, because despite my frustration over the workload, I still value my professional reputation and would rather not have anyone see me in this frenzied state.
With most companies striving to accomplish as much as they can with as few resources as possible, it’s common for a single employee to be dumped with a heavy workload that should really be split between two, maybe even three, people. And most employees in this position – myself included – would hesitate to address it for fear of sounding lazy or whiny. Plus, adding salt to the wound, employees who dutifully complete additional projects often don’t get a big expression of appreciation from their employer – they just get more work.
That’s bad not only for the employee’s health, but for the employer’s retention rate. A 2018 Gallup survey revealed that 23% of full-time workers say they are very often or always burnt out at work; that group is 63% more likely to take a sick day, 23% more likely to visit the emergency room and 2.6 times as likely to leave their current employer.
Here are some ways to get rid or ahead of burnout, whether you’re an employee dying for a glimpse of light at the end of the assignment tunnel, or an employer who wants their team to be productive, engaged and happy.
For Employees: Banish Burnout Without Getting Banished
As a first step, determine whether the workload you’ve been overwhelmed by is truly unreasonable. Review your job description, or solicit opinions from friends outside your organization who are familiar with your line of work. You may just need to brush up on your time management skills.
Have a few stress-busting techniques in your back pocket for the most overwhelming moments at work, like practicing breathing exercises or listening to a five-minute session on a meditation app. Also, try thinking about your work in small pieces. I used to struggle with managing stress at work when faced with numerous tasks at once because I would internalize the burden of every project in its entirety. Now, I remind myself that my brain doesn’t need to solve everything at once – it only needs to wrap itself around one step at a time.
If you’ve concluded your workload truly is a problem and want to talk to your boss about it, do two things before walking into that meeting. First, prepare a detailed list of your current projects and deadlines, what each one entails and how long each will take to complete to prove that a lighter load is necessary. Second, be ready to present a few solutions, like using technology to streamline tasks or outsourcing items to an intern or freelancer. Then plan a check-in meeting a few weeks later to discuss how the new process is going.
For Employers: Give the Space and Recognition Your Team Deserves
Consistent, transparent communication with all of your team members is one key to preventing employee burnout. A 2017 Forbes article on the subject recommended that managers maintain an open-door policy, give employees regular feedback (including a full, in-person explanation if the company chooses not to use something they just worked hard on) and include employees in the decision-making process instead of just giving orders.
Clearly define what is expected of each employee. Forbes noted that when roles are not clearly defined, blame gets spread throughout the team, causing frustration and potentially burnout. It also emphasized managers should ensure employees have what they need to fulfill those expectations, whether it’s training or an additional new hire.
Know the signs of burnout so it can be promptly addressed. According to Forbes, common signs to look for are exhaustion, disengagement from work, a drop in performance, and when an employee who is typically chatty during meetings becomes unusually quiet.
Create a compliment-heavy culture. When we’re busy, it’s easy to move from one project to the next without pausing to thank others for a job well done, but it’s critical to take that pause. Feeling appreciated and valued at work is a major key to engagement, and ultimately, retention.
I’ll end with an example of how one credit union put that last tip into action. The $12.6 billion, San Jose, Calif.-based First Tech Federal Credit Union partnered with Workhuman to launch a digital platform with two tools: Recognize, which allows employees to recognize each other for demonstrating the CU’s core values, and Conversations, which enables managers to frequently check in with employees, provide feedback and set priorities.
“Employees’ response and adoption was overwhelming, so we harnessed their support and buy-in to launch across the credit union.”
As part of its launch strategy, First Tech hosted a “gratitude bar” at its employee conference, where representatives from each team got a hands-on experience with the new tool, Chary Krout, former SVP, human resources at First Tech and current founder/co-owner of Cultivate, explained. “Employees’ response and adoption was overwhelming, so we harnessed their support and buy-in to launch across the credit union.”
In less than a year after implementation, 100% of employees received a Recognize award, and there were over 3,400 check-ins through a Conversations pilot group, according to a First Tech case study. First Tech also found through internal data analysis that employees who recognize others are two times less likely to leave First Tech than those only receive recognition, and those who receive recognition are 2.5 times less likely to leave the CU than those who are never recognized.
“Neuroscience research supports that sharing appreciation has the same psychological benefits of receiving recognition from others.”