Long story short: Lead your employees into the future

July 29, 2022 10:59 AM

Everything about the workplace has changed — your leadership style should, too.

In this week’s top stories, leaders and executives share how COVID has impacted their people and what they’re doing to help them. From offering supportive benefits, to leading by example, the future of work means embracing the humanity of the people who show up to work, says Julia Anas, chief people officer at Qualtrics.

“COVID fundamentally changed the way HR leaders do business, and it’s created space for people to think about what’s most important,” she says. “Companies are looking at their HR teams to help guide and lead, because people are the company's most important assets.”

At this week’s Workplace Strategies Agenda conference in Austin, Texas, leading with compassion and creating a culture of care was top of mind for many of the panelists. Being flexible, adapting to the changing trends in the workplace, and meeting people where they are can help attract new applicants, retain the workers you have, and plan for a more dynamic future for you and your business.

Check out all of our coverage from the conference, and what these leaders are predicting for the future:

Qualtrics chief people officer leads by example to help improve employee mental health

HR leaders have spent the last few years prioritizing other people — often at the expense of their own mental well-being. Almost all HR professionals are burned out: research from workplace communication app Workvivo found that 98% of HR professionals have experienced feelings of burnout, and 79% are considering leaving their jobs.

Addressing these issues means that HR leaders need to “put our oxygen masks on first,” says Julia Anas, chief people officer at Qualtrics, an employee experience platform. To do that, Anas shares how she’s leading by example, and how the pandemic gave her an opportunity to get vulnerable with her team.

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Qualtrics chief people officer leads by example to help improve employee mental health

"Work will look very different by 2032": This HR leader explains how the 'new normal' will evolve

The last two years have ushered in major changes for the state of work, from the increasing prominence of remote and hybrid models to the entire digitization of the workplace, employees are living in a “new normal.” And there’s no looking back, says Tatiana Cirio, head of people at Rocket.Chat, an omnichannel communications platform.

“There will always be language, cultural and time zone barriers with these work models, but as long as companies are open to being flexible and addressing those barriers head-on, we could see a large shift,” Cirio tells associate editor Deanna Cuadra. She shares how employers can adapt to a fully remote workforce, and how technology can help them get there.

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"Work will look very different by 2032": This HR leader explains how the 'new normal' will evolve

To attract top talent — and keep them happy — practice the ‘art of alignment’

Kathryn Minshew always wanted to dye her hair pink. But as the CEO of The Muse — a company she founded more than a decade ago to help workers find their best career paths and opportunities — she felt like pink hair was a risk she just couldn’t take. But giving the keynote speech at EBN’s Workplace Strategies Conference in Austin, Texas, this week, Minshew was proudly sporting pink hair — and that’s indicative of valuable shifts she’s seen in the workplace through the course of the pandemic.

“Companies are collections of humans, at the end of the day,” Minshew said. “Leading from a place of authenticity and celebrating the diversity of our teams, and acknowledging who we are and who we are not, we’ll be more successful.” Minshew shared her best practices for getting organizations on a path toward what she calls the “art of alignment.”

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To attract top talent — and keep them happy — practice the ‘art of alignment’

Why compassionate leadership may be the answer to the Great Resignation

The Great Resignation has challenged employers to rethink the way they recruit and hire talent. But it’s also a time for every manager to reconsider: What kind of leader am I? Now more than ever, employees are looking for organizations and bosses that lead with humanity, and recognize the separation of work and life has been permanently blurred by the pandemic. A 2021 survey by EY consulting found that 90% of U.S. workers say that empathetic leadership improves job satisfaction, while 79% say it decreases turnover.

“It’s a challenge for the modern leader to hold onto both of those tensions, of work and life,” Evan Harrel, co-founder and COO of the Center for Compassionate Leadership, tells editor-in-chief Stephanie Schomer. “But the ones that can do it are going to attract the most engaged employees, the most creative employees, and ultimately the most loyal and grateful employees.” Harrel shares why compassion is so vital to the success of a business, and how leaders can learn to be a little bit kinder to both their workers and themselves.

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Why compassionate leadership may be the answer to the Great Resignation