culture

The Post-Pandemic World

Posted on by Seniye Groff

I was recently asked, “What’s different now that the pandemic is behind us (hopefully)?” As people professionals, we are often on to the next crisis and don’t have time to stop and reflect on the tsunami of the last two years. So, I really appreciated the question and the invitation to pause and consider this important question.

First and foremost, I think employees got comfortable with advocating for what they need. They are no longer afraid to say, “Timeout, that doesn’t work for me any longer.” I also believe that the conversations around mental health are super healthy. In essence, mental health is now considered a health issue similar to a routine physical or having a baby. It is long overdue that the stigma of mental health disappears. This translated to believing it is okay for employees to use their benefits. Previously employees were afraid to use their PTO as it might indicate a lack of dedication to their job, but now taking PTO is a health imperative. Relaxing and rejuvenation is indeed exactly what the doctor ordered!

More than ever the employee experience is key. This starts with leadership. Employees are not in the child role, while leaders are in the parent role. Work is a partnership so leaders you are now on notice that employees expect collaboration, respect and transparency. The employee experience starts with the job posting and carries all the way to retirement or termination. Words on a wall are not enough…ask the difficult questions about what candidates and employees want and what drives employees away from your organization when they decide to leave.

Values, inclusivity and belonging are here to stay. These are not catch phrases or a check the box effort. Employees want to make sure the organization they join or work for are aligned to their “why”. If there is no alignment, it will just be a “job” and you will not get the employee’s passion, which is where true performance happens. And for those companies that think the focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are a passing flavor of the month, I am happy to inform you that is not the case. It is here to stay and employees expect identifiable action and results.

So I challenge each leader, regardless of the role or title, to lead with empathy and advocacy. Build skill development plans not only for leaders, for all employees. After all, work has changed and the skills needed to be successful on the job (and life) need to evolve, too. And finally, ensure your company’s values are aligned with the daily actions that employees are accountable and rewarded for to ensure a robust employee experience.

What others things have you seen that are different post-pandemic?

Avoid the “Culture Clash”

Posted on by Seniye Groff

In the February issue of Chief Learning Officer, there is a great article titled “Your Brain on Culture“.  Neal Goodman points out that “culture provides us with the guide to survival, we naturally feel protected by our own and threatened by other cultures.”  This “Us versus Them” attitude is a natural result of different cultures clashing.  But let’s face it, global intelligence is critical to surviving in today’s workplace.  Certainly a great place to start is knowing time variances and local holidays so that you are not trying to book a meeting or conference call at a disrespectful time.  Recently, I received a request for a conference call at 11 p.m. my time!  Of course I wanted to demonstrate flexibility but the person in Asia should have consulted a world clock so that they knew what they were requesting from me.

Goodman recommends knowing business customs and practices, too.  He relates an example of PUMA trying to sell a shoe with UAE’s flag colors on one of their shoes.  PUMA did not realize that culturally the foot is looked at negatively so putting the flag colors on a shoe must have seemed incredibly disrespectful!  On the flip side, Hilton Hotels created a program to make Chinese guests feel welcome by greeting them in Mandarin (by Mandarin-speaking staff), offering Chinese tv stations and Chinese breakfast items.  How smart and forward thinking!

It is naive to believe that what companies do domestically can easily be replicated globally.  Instead, Goodman suggests some ideas to help your company build cultural intelligence such as:

  • Offer a course on cultural intelligence to your entire workforce
  • Develop global leaders through training and immersion
  • Build global teams
  • Create a database on cultural intelligence.

Finally, Goodman suggests that  “a heightened awareness of cultural differences will allow employees to build bridges of understanding that promote trust, efficiency and effectiveness and increase an organization’s competitive advantage in the global arena.”

Check out the complete article at Chief Learning Officer.  I always read articles with great insight and tips from this publication!

So tell me:

What examples have you seen where companies have been thoughtful about being more culturally aware and responsive? 

What missteps have you seen?