August 19, 2020
As employers, executives, and leaders, we must focus on creating our best culture for our teams to produce their best work. I want to share some resources that can help you enrich your company’s culture in a remote work environment and why it is important to do so.
Burnout is rising, and your organization's well-being is crucial for boosting employee morale and hitting your revenue goals. The World Health Organization classified corporate burnout as a disease in July 2020. According to Dr. Emma Seppälä, author of the Happiness Track and a well-respected leader at both Yale College and Stanford University, “Close to 50% of people say they are often or always exhausted due to work which is a 32% increase from two decades ago.
There is a significant correlation between feeling lonely and work exhaustion. The more people are exhausted, the lonelier they feel. The Harvard Business Review published an article entitled
Burnout at Work Isn’t Just About Exhaustion. It is Also About Loneliness by Emma Seppälä and her colleague Marissa King. In the article the authors highlight two studies that link social support at work, lower rates of burnout, and greater work satisfaction and productivity. In other words, work happiness is dependent on positive social relationships with coworkers. The studies also showed that workplace engagement is associated with positive social relations that involve feeling valued, supported, respected, and secure.
According to a recent Gallup poll, 7 in 10 employees are currently working remotely. With most of the workforce working from home, many employees feel isolated, disconnected, and stressed. These feelings can lead to burnout and lower productivity. Gallup reported that 65% of employers are struggling to maintain employee morale and actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. $450 billion to $550 billion per year.
Adapting your company’s culture to support remote work is one of the most important things you can do, especially in the era of COVID-19 when people are social distancing and spending more time at home. The key to preventing isolation is to develop a thriving company culture in which team members feel individually recognized, valued, and committed. Your culture is not about perks, proximity of team members, or the processes you have in place, it is about inclusivity. In-office perks like gourmet coffee bars and ping pong tables only serve to incentivize. They might symbolize what your culture represents, but too often it is a misrepresentation or distraction from genuine core values. As you contemplate how your business will move forward post COVID-19, this is a prime opportunity to evaluate whether your “culture” is just a package of perks, or if it is the authentic personality of your brand.
Zoom and Distribute Consulting developed a
5-step plan to extend your company culture outside of the office by:
- Defining your culture
- Watching your culture in action
- Updating your leadership mindset
- Designing your new workplace
- Setting expectations.
You can
listen to an on-demand program to hear from companies like Zoom, HelpScout, Mural, and Buffer on how they are adapting company culture for remote work during the pandemic.
Jenn Lim, CEO and co-founder of
Delivering Happiness, believes that “Culture is rooted in the way your employees think, act, and interact. Companies have cultures whether they define it or not – good or bad – they are their culture.” Lim claims that happier workplaces build more profitable businesses. Her research shows that when your employees are happier at work, your business will thrive.
Delivering Happiness has developed an Employer Toolkit to help companies design their path to a happier, more adaptable business. Delivering Happiness explores three areas every workplace needs in the toolkit to be successful and for producing their best work: values, trust, and well-being.
I hope that you find these resources insightful. As a company on Accounting Today’s list of Best Accounting Firms to Work For, we know how important our culture is to the success of our firm. Marty and our entire leadership team believe in having a culture based on trust, respect, and empowerment. Our culture allows us to be focused on you and dedicated to your success.
Stay safe,
Kerrianne Brady
Firm Administrator
McCarthy & Company
Disclaimer: This alert is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Information contained in this communication is not intended or written to be used as tax advice, and cannot be used by the recipient to avoid penalties that may be imposed under the Internal Revenue Code. We strongly advise you to seek professional assistance with respect to your specific issue(s).
