Improve Employee Engagement & Christian Workplace

3/2/20217 Workplace Trends for 2021 - Best Christian Workplaces InstituteSurveysCulture ConsultingResourcesBCW ListsClient ResultsAbout UsBlogWorkplace Trends7 MIN READ Privacy nds-for-2021/1/12

7 Workplace Trends for 20213/2/20217 Workplace Trends for 2021 - Best Christian Workplaces InstituteSurveysCulture ConsultingBCW ListsClient ResultsSeven workplace trends for 2021 that could signi cantly affect your workplace thiscoming year.ResourcesAbout UsWhere your employees work and how well they work (remotely or together) is just thetip of the iceberg as you and your organization navigate the yet-uncharted, postCOVID waters. How would you prefer to be sailing into 2021?Trend #1: The return to delegating decision-making to thefront line, and refocusing communication on mission, notCOVIDWhy is this signi cant? In our BCWI research during COVID vs. pre-COVID, twothemes emerged:First, COVID has caused leaders to centralize decision-making. For speed andef ciency’s sake, decisions were pulled into the leadership team without feedbackfrom key stakeholders. While necessary for the short-term, this will need to changefor long-term effectiveness and employee engagement. Moving forward, leaders willneed to delegate participation in decision-making outside the leadership team andcloser to the front line.Second, communication of the organization’s strategy improved during COVID.Organizations did a good job communicating their internal COVID strategy to keepthe wheels on the wagon. Generally, our research showed, the employees’ perceptionthat the organization was meeting its goals improved during the pandemic. Wequestioned what goals the employees thought the organization was meeting. Possiblythey were perceptions like “hey, we are doing pretty good despite COVID.” We believeleaders will begin to refocus employees on mission goals post COVID.Also, for many organizations, the perception is they were more effective withemployees working remotely, but not across the board. Look for increasedcommunication efforts to keep employees informed during remote work.Consider . . nds-for-2021/ Privacy T2/12

3/2/20217 Workplace Trends for 2021 - Best Christian Workplaces InstituteReturn decision-making to front-line employees involved and affected by thesevery decisions.SurveysCulture ConsultingBCW ListsClient ResultsRefocus on the good communication skills that got you through COVID. PostResourcesAbout Us strategy to meetCOVID, the challenge will be to communicateyour organization’syour customers’ needs and organizational goals.Trend #2: Refocus on employee engagement and culture(human ourishing)During COVID a number of leaders said, “We can’t focus on engagement. We can’t askour managers and employees to do one more thing!” Engagement fell off the radar ofmany leaders. They didn’t have time to follow up with stressed employees, and theywere afraid of what their people might tell them.As the COVID vaccine takes hold, and workplaces ramp back up, employers will needto reconnect with employees to gauge the level of engagement. Leaders will activelylisten and more freely model the strength and wisdom of Proverbs 27:23, to be sureand know the state of their ock.Call to action: Christian led organizations must become examples of the Kingdom ofGod here on earth where leaders and employees ourish.Consider . . .With people feeling increased stress being couped up, less work-life balance, kids athome, ask yourself, ”What issues are affecting my employees now, and how do I planto address them?”Refocus on your Values. With people back in closer proximity, facing (and causing)relationship challenges that didn’t happen on Zoom, it will be time to refocus onorganizational values.Re-engage your top talent. Post-COVID, disengaged employees will takeadvantage of options and choices. While Society of Human Resource Managementsays employees are spooked by continuing high unemployment and staying put intheir jobs not seen in nearly a decade, will “the return to normal” tempt your bestpeople to leave? Privacy nds-for-2021/3/12

3/2/20217 Workplace Trends for 2021 - Best Christian Workplaces InstituteGive your female employees grace. NPR reports women are leaving the workforceSurveysCulture ConsultingBCW ListsClient Resultsat four times the rate as men. The burden of parenting and running a household,while also working a job during the pandemic, has created a pressure cookerAboutUs how will youenvironment, and women are bearing theResourcesbrunt of it. In lightof this,listen to and respond to stress levels your female employees are facing?Trend #3: Heightened diversity and inclusion focusLast summer’s experience of racial injustice has signi cantly heightened the tone andfocus inside Christian-led organizations.Consider . . .Improve multi-cultural competence. What is the hard work of creating workplaceexperiences where minorities would feel safe and welcome in your organization?Common reading assignments help build competence. Examples of books include:The Color of Compromise, Jemar TisbyLong Time Coming, Michael Eric DysonThe Colors of Culture: The Beauty of Diverse Friendships, Melinda Joy MingoEvaluate and expand training. Where do employees presently feel a sense ofbelonging from empathetic leaders vs. well-meaning one-off training sessions?Include millennials in the discussions. Diversity and inclusion are important topicsfor justice-minded millennials. How do millennials value diversity in yourworkplace? How are their voices, convictions, and ideas being heard?Rethink the interview process. Job applicants with white-sounding names get 50%more interviews. Where does this factoid land in your search and hiring ofcandidates?Trend #4: Decentralized / hybrid virtual workplaces are hereto stayWhen we are done with COVID, it is estimated that the number of people workingfrom home will double from pre-COVID numbers. So, there will have to be newpatterns to incorporate larger numbers of work from home employees with of ceemployees. Privacy nds-for-2021/4/12

3/2/20217 Workplace Trends for 2021 - Best Christian Workplaces InstituteThe Future Forum research of 4,700 knowledge workers found the majority will neverSurveysCulture ConsultingBCW ListsClient Resultswant to go back to the old way of working. Only 12% want to return to full-time of cework, and 72% want a hybrid – remote of ce model.Consider . . .ResourcesAbout UsDiscover current best practice workplaces. Listeners to the Flourishing CulturePodcast might value the great practical tips on managing remote workforces byRobert Bortins who heads the popular home-schooling organization ClassicalConversations.Identify hybrid virtual workplace approaches. How is your organization preparingfor the post-COVID work environment? Are you ready for a majority hybridremote of ce model?Trend #5: Don’t be shocked: 1-1 meetings are key to yourteam’s success!It’s true. Believe it or not, organizational cultures have truly moved from “performancemanagement” to “development conversations.” Frontline managers continue to be thekey link between employees and organizations.A 30- to 60-minute weekly or bi-weekly meeting can be an oasis of mutual listening,understanding, af rmation, challenge, and action for individuals and teams.What’s the key to a productive, rewarding meeting? There isn’t one! (What’s workedfor you in the past stands a chance to succeed moving forward.)Consider . . .Training managers to communicate. Generally speaking, how comfortable doindividuals feel discussing issues and concerns with managers where you work?Pre-populate agendas with open-ended, invitational questions and genuineinterest:How are you feeling?What’s on your mind?What are you most excited about?What are your top priorities this week, and how can I help trends-for-2021/ Privacy T5/12

3/2/20217 Workplace Trends for 2021 - Best Christian Workplaces InstituteTrend #6: The gig economy will continue to growSurveysCulture ConsultingBCW ListsClient ResultsFreelancers, consultants, independent contractors/professionals, and contractworkers what was considered a side hustleResourceshas turned intoa trillion-dollarindustry.AboutUsPeople like the exibility some even like working from their van while on anadventure.Upwork, a marketplace for gig workers says that 57.3 million people freelance in theUS and by 2027 they estimate it will increase to 87.5 million. Edison researchidenti es that 44% of gig workers say their work in the gig economy is their primarysource of income.From an employer perspective, the gig economy can translate into cost savings foremployee bene ts, of ce space, and overhead, while bringing skills and competency tothe organization.Consider . . .Identify gig opportunities. We are talking about going beyond Uber or Grubhub.Identify simple projects where employing a gig worker could add competence andsave time or money. Examples include graphic design, web/mobile/softwaredevelopment, marketing, etc. Need something translated and don’t know where toturn?Bid the project on a gig / freelance website. Some examples of places to ndgig/freelance workers to complete projects include Upwork, Freelancer, Guru, andFiverr.Trend #7: Go digital for continuous learning and developmentBCWI President and COO, Jay Bransford states that “ten percent of a person’sdevelopment is classroom oriented; online/digital training can meet the need atreduced costs.While organizations learned this during COVID, it’s hard to place a measurable valueon digital learning, just as it’s hard to focus while sitting at your desk facing a full emailin-basket and Teams/Slack list of unread messages.” Privacy nds-for-2021/6/12

3/2/20217 Workplace Trends for 2021 - Best Christian Workplaces InstituteI’m amazed at how incredibly ef cient meetings over video-conference can be. InsteadSurveysCulture ConsultingBCW ListsClient Resultsof driving to a meeting, or ying to a meeting, you can recapture all the travel time intoproductivity and spend less. These and other digital tools will play an important role asResourcesAboutUsa new kind of headquarters now being developedin a digitalrst world.Organizationsthat do it well will drive engagement, achieve organizational agility, maintainalignment, and empower teamwork across all disciplines and locations.Consider . . .Online learning is not bound by geographyOnline learning is not bound by time (or a particular time of day)Online learning can allow for frequent and immediate feedback for or from thelearnersOnline learning can be offered over and over again which reduces costs in the longrunOnline learning is fast becoming a preferred method of learning for youngergenerationsAdditional ResourcesDownload BCWI’s four-page guide for inspirational leadership in crisis for FREE. Privacy nds-for-2021/7/12

3/2/20217 Workplace Trends for 2021 - Best Christian Workplaces InstituteSurveysCulture ConsultingResourcesBCW ListsClient ResultsAbout UsCategories: Blog, Workplace Trends January 5, 2021 0 CommentsShare this Author: Al Lopushttps://www.bcwinstitute.orgAl Lopus is the Cofounder and CEO at Best Christian WorkplacesInstitute. He is an organizational culture and leadership consultant,coach, speaker and author.NEXTPREVIOUS Season 6 Episode rends-for-2021/Season 6 Episode 02:Retaining Top Talent Startsih S l i ii Privacy T8/12