By Rob McConnell, Head of Expleo NI
Rob McConnell explores why staff engagement in the technology industry is such a hot topic right now, and what business leaders can do to find the balance between being a flexible employer whilst maintaining a focused and productive workforce.
“Staff engagement is one of the hottest topics – or should we say dilemmas? – in the technology industry at the moment. The balance of power between employer and employee in recent years has well and truly shifted, if not taken a complete U-turn. People have adjusted their working habits to create a better work-life balance and they see those changes as permanent. Can we blame them, given that we continuously preach about company culture and the fundamental role that work-life balance plays?
“Business leaders are now faced with finding the balance between being a highly flexible and attractive employer, while maintaining a fully focused, loyal and productive workforce. After all, a business must be revenue-generating and the majority of us have clear growth ambitions that heavily rely on engaged teams. Most organisations are grappling with the best way to handle this balance and in doing so, they have been very careful about how they communicate on the subject – with many avoiding the topic altogether.
“The debate centres on the office as the focal point of a productive business and whether or not flexible working supports the same levels of engagement and collaboration as being in a physical space together. Many employees say they are more efficient and super productive at home, while managers have questioned their teams’ performance levels now versus pre-COVID.
“We must also ask ourselves if today’s hybrid working model is enabling people in the early part of their careers to learn from those around them in the same way they could when everyone was in the office five days a week. It is vital for our industry and the people in it that we continue to grow and nurture talented individuals. As well ascutting out the ad hoc interactions and observations of daily office life, are we also missing out on the instances where people spontaneously volunteer for tasks or go above and beyond their daily responsibilities because they have noticed that their colleague needs a dig-out?
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“These questions have resulted in some organisations taking drastic steps to increase office attendance. Some have told employees that remote working will hinder their opportunities for professional advancement and promotions. Then there are the organisations who seem to be ‘bribing’ staff with the offer of food or free coffees. This more common approach has given rise to the term ‘coffee badgers’, referring to those who attend the office to take advantage of the free coffee before leaving one or two hours later.
“At Expleo, we value face-to-face time with our employees. Our longstanding culture of collaboration has led to the success we all enjoy today, while also enabling us to forge lifelong friendships with our team members. For me to get the most out of my team, I know that we need facetime, but their happiness and stress levels are also a priority. Our approach, therefore, has been to drive engagement through community, social, sporting, charity and staff events. While we do encourage it, it’s not all about being in the office, and mandates will never work. Unless heavily policed, which is not a culture we encourage, they start with good intentions but can have the opposite effect.
“Return-to-office mandates also ignore the human factor. From wanting to avoid the commute into work, to having to pick up a child or walk the dog, the reasons for remote or hybrid working are vast, varied and valid – it is not for the business leader to decide what external factors will make their team members happier in their roles. It is their job to lead and strike the balance between what best suits the business and what works for its people. For example, a disgruntled employee who has been mandated back into the office full-time could sit at their desk with a set of headphones on, avoiding interactions with those around them. Quite frankly, that person will be far less engaged and collaborative than a typical hybrid office worker.
“In this example, the office is not a magic wand for team productivity. We need to remember that this is not just about having people come into the office; it’s about a need for wider engagement between employer and employees, as well as employees and their colleagues.
“While it may seem paradoxical, I believe that the proliferation of technologies like Generative AI will put a greater focus on human beings: our capacity for creativity and our innate need to work together to come up with amazing results. The AI, meanwhile, will focus on the tasks that were making us procrastinate and disengaged in the first place. This will inevitably result in a change in the mindsetfor employees; they will be engaged, and they will want to be more visible.
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“The debate as to whether staff are more or less engaged today than they once were, is one that will rage on and is likely to vary across sectors and mindsets. Perhaps, this isn’t the right debate to be having at all. Perhaps this is just the tip of the iceberg in a larger issue– which includes employee work arrangements – of the gap between employees and employers, and how to realign expectations and priorities to drive benefits for both groups.
“A failure to meet in the middle could mean that employers subconsciously reward employees who are more present in the office with more positive review feedback and development or promotion opportunities. Meanwhile, more senior employees could start facing issues with the quality of work from junior members of staff due to a lack of in-person coaching and learning within a physical team. Lastly, can employers and employees with vastly different goals and priorities truly do great work together? Such a chasm would likely challenge the productivity of even the most diligent employee.
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“Productivity in itself is a balancing act. While people may be more protective of their personal time now, and therefore more stringent with the hours that they work, there is an upside of being available for more time during the day when the daily commute is removed. Meanwhile, a hybrid working policy could help to increase satisfaction levels among staff and therefore improve talent retention and attraction prospects.
“We all want a work-life balance, and it’s up to business leaders to find the balance to enable… balance. It’s about providing a comfortable level of flexibility whilemaintaining productivity, boosting quality attendance and gaining value, empowering individuals while supporting the business. The most important thing of all is that employees and employersare on the same page – not just on working arrangements, but also in terms of the technologies, initiatives and strategies that will unite them as a team, working towards the same goal.
"The challenges facing workplaces today require leadership. True leaders are those who understand people. They will value the human factor of their workforce, working with those around them to find a solution that positions them for success. It’s aboutcoming together to achieve collective success.”
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