What percentage of the global workforce do you think Microsoft’s Work Trend Index found is considering leaving their current employer this year?
A. 15%
B. 25%
C. 40%
If you answered C, you win! Your prize? Read the rest of this post to find out why and what employers can do about it.
There’s no doubt that remote work has taken a toll on the social glue that bonds collocated teams together. Seemingly everyone—from consultants to managers to employees themselves—is talking about how to do remote and hybrid work better.
As I’ve been listening to clients, colleagues and acquaintances share their impressions of the benefits and shortcomings of remote working arrangements, I’ve also been exploring the science behind employee engagement and team cohesion. According to Gallup teams with the highest employee engagement are 22% more profitable, on average, than those with the least employee engagement. As you might expect, employee engagement has tanked during the pandemic for a host of reasons. In discussing Prudential’s Pulse of the American Worker survey findings with Quartz, Prudential’s vice chair Rob Falzon suggested that more employees are open to new work opportunities outside their current employer because they are feeling less emotionally attached to the workplace.
Employees want to feel a sense of belonging with their team because humans are social animals. Many of us claim several tribes, work being one of the most significant because we depend on it for our livelihood, and we devote vast amounts of our time and energy to it. That sense of belonging that employees seek is cultivated by nurturing trust among teammates. Research shows that positive, trust-building social encounters release oxytocin in our brains and stays active for 30 minutes. What’s more, the amount of oxytocin released is directly related to the amount of trust that is shown in the encounter. Why is this important? Decades of research have shown that the hormone oxytocin is a key to our ability to establish and maintain social bonds.
According to neuroscientist and author Paul Zak’s 2017 Harvard Business Review article, employees at high-trust companies, “… enjoyed their jobs 60% more, were 70% more aligned with their companies’ purpose, and felt 66% closer to their colleagues… and experienced 40% less burnout from their work."
For remote workers, unless leaders intentionally create opportunities for social interactions, they will miss out on those very social encounters that help create trust among team members, and therefore will miss out on all the benefits that come with high-trust organizations.
The bottom line? Check in with your teammates. Some people have been thriving during the pandemic and may feel a little guilty about their wellbeing. Other people have been devastated by the pandemic and are barely able to focus on work. But, we can’t know how people are faring unless we ask them. And then just listen. You may gain insights about how you might be able to help someone cope, and you’ll certainly deepen your empathy for and among your teammates. That’s both good-hearted and good for business.