Productivity — hybrid is not the biggest issue
This week I had the privilege of speaking to the Global HR team at Rentokil — thanks to Vanessa Evans, Jeremy Phillips-Powell and Julia Friend for inviting me.
One of the questions asked was “what scares you about the future of HR?”. My response? I’m concerned about the deteriorating levels of good mental health and the impact this will have on productivity, and therefore our ability to grow the economy. This challenge will no doubt fall to the people function at a time when we’re still grappling with how much responsibility really lies with employers.
According to Mind, 1 in 4 of us experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England. A staggering statistic.
There is no doubt that our mental fitness levels deteriorated as a result of Covid. Awareness of mental health issues has risen dramatically and more people are openly talking about it. Alongside this many people have used the last three years to reevaluate their lives to discover what’s most important to them, many choosing life, family, pets, shorter commutes or personal goals over work, career or even money.
This week we also saw many headlines about productivity paranoia and company bosses calling for an increased and mandated number of days in the office. My question remains — what problem are you trying to solve with these measures?
It’s apparent that whilst the power employees had during the pandemic to expect, even demand, flexible working is subsiding a little. Leaders will not win hearts and minds by becoming completely inflexible. There is a new normal and in my opinion, hybridization is a good thing to come from a grave situation.
Having a wide support circle, social connections and human contact are some of the ways that can improve those things that often lead to mental health issues like loneliness, isolation, paranoia and anxiety. However individual human needs are incredibly personalised.
If the real problem statement is “how do we improve productivity?” I believe that leaders have a key role moving forward in listening to needs rather than subscribing solutions. Clearly this needs to be balanced with business necessity and part of being in a leadership position is to set clear expectations on when purposeful in person collaboration and learning is of benefit to all.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic and what you’re seeing in your organisations. Drop me a line at jenny.burns@wearemagnetic.com
