The employee experience giant surveyed 42,500 employees worldwide, and found that when organizations are genuinely people-centric they reap the rewards.
Employees are 57 times more likely to view change as positive when it is people-centric – that means giving them a voice, and taking action based on their feedback.
This also leads to 75% less burnout, 25% less anxiety and 467% higher fulfilment at work.
O.C. Tanner’s report also found that when organizations are genuinely empathetic – aka leaders put themselves in employees’ shoes and really think about their experiences at work – they see a 1,388% uptick in engagement, 1,149% increase in belonging and a 894% growth in fulfillment.
Writing in the report, Gregory Crawford, president at Miami University shared: “Without action, empathy may be interpreted as less than authentic.”
Merging empathy with meaningful recognition is also key to having engaged, happy, innovative employees, who are good for business.
Frequent recognition at work drives a 149% increase in workers’ desire to stay one more year in their job.
Given how expensive (and challenging) recruitment is right now, investing the time in employee appreciation, as well as learning and development that shows you are invested in their future at your company, is something employers must consider in 2024 (and beyond).
The report stated: “Organizations that truly see, hear, and value employees can turn empathy from a buzzword into an impactful, teachable practice and create environments where people know they’re valued and respond with loyalty and great work.”
Small HR steps lead to big culture change
The question that remains is what should organizations – and specifically managers and HR leaders – actually take to reap these rewards?
The good news is that small shifts and lead to big change.
The report noted: “The most important thing to remember is that proactive changes needn’t be dramatic to be effective. Seemingly minor shifts can lead to major success if organizations keep employees at the forefront of decision-making.”
First things first, HR leaders need to communicate the retention and engagement benefits of a good company culture to the C-Suite – then they can start incorporating cultural programs into a corporate strategy, and ensure long-term investment is behind all the necessary initiatives.
They then need to create a framework, and really explain to (and show) mangers and employees how to do empathy and recognition right.
Speaking to UNLEASH specifically on the empathy point, O.C. Tanner’s European MD Robert Ordever concludes: “HR leaders need to ensure everyone understands what practical empathy means and provide recommendations on how it should be practiced.
“These must include a number of key steps from prioritizing the individual’s needs, seeking understanding and listening to learn, through to taking supportive action that goes beyond just caring while ensuring boundaries are always respected.
Leaders can’t act as comprehensive support systems and so organizations must be set-up to provide the appropriate intervention as and when required.”
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