Organizational culture doesn't have to be something that happens to you.
Culture can be negotiated, and that is more important than ever when faced with disruption in the workplace. And disruption is here.
Now more than ever, employees must feel empowered to express their needs to their leaders.
Often, leadership inaction is not because leaders don't care; it's the result of a mismatch between employee needs and leadership's perception of those needs.
Research shows 74% of managers believe they listen effectively, yet only 34% of employees feel acknowledged. That gap can only be closed through communication, and empowered employees are 4.6x more likely to perform at their best.
What are some immediate things you can do today? It doesn’t have to be monumental.
💡 Participate — don't gloss over opportunities that allow you to actively influence organizational culture, even often overlooked feedback loops like pulse surveys and town halls.
💡Action over Feeling — have a specific ask and identify the benefit to the organization. Don't assume your supervisor or skip manager understands why something is beneficial. Tell them.
💡Read the room — your ask must be balanced with the realities of the organization. One of the biggest frustrations employees have is feeling that their voices are not heard. But sometimes the realities of what leaders can provide and what employees want are a gap too wide.
💡Start small — the smallest changes yield the biggest ROI. Demonstrating innovative thinking separates an ask that gets traction from those that read like a complaint box.
During a time when workforce mobility feels stagnant, employees play an even more important role in shaping the place they want to work in day to day.
Leaders are responsible for providing a safe workplace that cultivates innovation and productivity, but nothing gives a more accurate temperature of the organization than the employees who work there.
Your voice matters, make it heard, and make it count.