Restrictions on global movement coupled with an astronomical rise in digital capabilities have made it difficult to develop workforces and remain competitive, a hurdle faced by 85% of organisations across the region.
But the world is opening up again, and as these roadblocks move closer to the rear-view mirror, it’s time to shrug off reactivity and funnel the lessons of the last two years into an approach geared towards growth – particularly when it comes to nurturing the professional ambitions of employees.
In a global study by Gartner, 62% of respondents said the pandemic caused them to long for a bigger change in their lives. The firm says, “People want acknowledgement, growth opportunities and to feel valued, trusted and empowered.”
It’s critical we create environments in which employees can develop and thrive, unimpeded, whether they’re at home or in the office. And it all starts with ensuring they’ve got the right tools in their corner.
The importance of the ‘why’
I recently attended a customer service event in Singapore, during which my co-panellist Alp Altun, regional chief transformation officer Asia-Pacific at Allianz, identified what leaders need to do to create an environment conducive to growth and innovation.
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Alp noted it comes down to helping staff identify and act upon the ‘why’ in their professional lives; a goal to work towards each day, rather than treating their job as an obligatory means to an end.
He said, from a behavioural psychology standpoint, if people understand why they need to run, they’re much more likely to run.
Being cast adrift in a sea of excessive administrative work and responsibilities is antithetical to finding the ‘why’, as it’s highly unlikely it’ll leave time for staff to absorb themselves in meaningful work and develop and refine their professional passions.
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This, of course, is exacerbated if staff assume tasks outside their remit due to ongoing skills shortages.
Resourcefulness is essential to bridge this gap, and can be achieved through leveraging automation and artificial intelligence (AI). AI-enabled tools can tackle highly repetitive and low-value tasks, such as transcribing meeting minutes in real-time. More than that, intelligent AI can gather customer information and learn over time, rather than just spitting out a script, providing instant, tailored answers to customer queries in the here and now.
The time-saving benefits of AI allow staff to brainstorm and develop creative offerings, collaborate with colleagues and focus on the interpersonal elements of customer interactions.
AI-enabled digital assistants can also help to lighten the load and give staff down time in which to simply think. As Alp continued, people occasionally need to be taken out of an operational strait jacket and given an environment where they can roam free in their mind to develop creative ideas.
Henry Ford famously found that when he cut his employees’ hours from 48 per week to 40, productivity increased.
Leaders need to create an environment that gives employees the chance to talk informally with co-workers, as well as in a constructive manner with supervisors and managers, allowing them to easily access support and glean inspiration.
This should span both the home and office environments, given hybrid work is now an expectation among global workforces.
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As we are now operating in a time of work-life integration, where the lines between the home and office have blurred beyond recognition, organizations need to adapt to this reality or will risk losing staff to competitors.
An example of accommodating work-life integration could be as simple as allowing staff to manage their workday directly from personal devices, given that mobile phones are among the accepted and often even preferred way to communicate and complete jobs.
The pandemic put a temporary roadblock in front of our proactivity, as we were forced to reactively adapted to an unprecedented set of challenges. Now’s the time to dust ourselves off and arm our workforces with the right tools for growth and development to ensure we can compete on a global stage.
Sami Ammous is the vice president for Asia-Pacific and Japan at Avaya
