Avoid Workplace Robots and How Business Owners Can Prevent Them

Poor office atmosphere is the number one reason millennials quit their jobs.

IKEA’s latest ad is a stroke of brilliance on behalf of the company. It opens with an office worker — in what looks like a virtual setting — moving robotically throughout his work day, along with his fellow coworkers. The office worker remains this way until he arrives home and suddenly the scene transforms and he becomes less robotic and more human and happy. The commercial closes with the quote, “Home is where you feel alive again.”

IKEA isn’t wrong. Many people’s “happy place” is at home or with family. And while we all have days where we feel like we’re robotically going through the motions at work, we should strive to make these days few and far between for our employees. As business owners, it is our job to breathe life into the workplace.

And, this starts with any organization’s leadership team.

The Problem Isn’t the Job Itself

What often contributes to robotic employees at work are feelings of boredom, lack of inspiration, and not feeling that human bond between coworkers. And as digitization and disruption continue to play a huge part in the workplace going forward, leaders who focus on their workforce will be profoundly more successful. After all, it’s no accident that thriving companies are built on a culture of empowerment and unity, where everyone has a voice and feels cared for.

So stop overlooking or disregarding employees that seem to be running on autopilot and start implementing practices to help them feel alive, and not stuck in survival mode.

Set top-down policies to encourage engagement and collaboration.

Robots are programmed to do the same tasks every day. They don’t ask questions and they don’t push barriers. So whether your workforce is located in one central location, or works remotely from anywhere in the world, define your company’s communication standards. Make daily collaboration a requirement and clearly define when teams should be communicating through chat, online or in-person meetings, and video conferences. And see that the entire company is using the same tools. This constant engagement will not only inspire action, but innovation.

Empower employees to give feedback regularly.

According to a study conducted by LogMeIn’s Communciations & Collaboration products a poor office atmosphere is the number one reason millennials quit their jobs. So take your employees’ opinions into account. You may be surprised by those that feel the atmosphere is toxic, uninspiring or just plain boring.

Make sure your culture allows for upward feedback. Consider a simple cloud-based performance system that makes it easy for employees to anonymously give feedback at any time. And regularly schedule — about once a quarter — employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) surveys. These surveys will provide your employees with a much needed voice, and will help you identify potential improvements that should be made.

A great program will allow them to set bi-weekly or monthly goals and allow managers to easily track progress.

Be transparent and show employees they’re being heard.

The most important thing you can do as a business owner is to let your employees know they’re being heard. So start making and announcing plans to improve processes or policies as soon as possible. The feedback you receive from employees will not always be positive, but don’t be disheartened. Encourage employees to offer solutions to problems and have open discussions about what changes need to be made and how long they’ll most likely take. This transparency will help you drive employee loyalty and advocacy in the long run. Just keep running those employee surveys.

Shift the company focus from performance to learning.

We all want to do well and receive praise for our hard work, but focusing too much on employee performance can be a recipe for burnout. Instead, implement an internal hub or internal training program where your staff can go to seek answers and self manage through monthly training and team leads. A great program will allow them to set bi-weekly or monthly goals and allow managers to easily track progress. I personally love doing this in my 1-on-1s. This not only allows employees to find joy in their personal growth, but to reach their professional goals rather than remaining stagnant.

Encourage employees to offer solutions to problems and have open discussions about what changes need to be made and how long they’ll most likely take

Encourage innovation through up-to-date technology.

Innovation breeds innovation. As you introduce new tech tools to your business, you will not only stir up excitement, but your employees will be able to better serve themselves, their teams, and your customers. And more often than not, this means they will have more time on their hands to collaborate and better future-proof the business. So from project management to online meetings, look for tools that are powered by AI and machine learning, and start considering bringing on a forward-thinking IT leader or researching the best tech stack for your business.

Acknowledge their lives outside of the office.

With mobile and on-the-go technology, many employees are privileged to bring work with them wherever they go. And while this is wonderful, make sure to encourage employees to unplug and spend time with family, pursuing hobbies or unwinding. So many people find themselves stuck in a robotic rut because they can’t separate home and work. They’re so busy that they rarely use vacation days, they’re constantly in and out of meetings, they’re getting minimal sleep, and they’re simply burnt out. And while that may sound familiar as a business owner, it’s important to try to give employees a work-life balance.

Encourage employees to use their vacation days and enjoy their life outside of work. After all, you have a lot of responsibilities as a business owner, but making sure your employees are engaged and thriving should be a priority. If your workforce is happy outside of the office and constantly learning, growing, collaborating, and feeling like a crucial piece to your business puzzle within the office, they’ll be inspired to create, innovate and stay awhile.