Written by 
by Dale Young, WeAlign Executive Coach
Gallup recently released their “State of the Workplace” report for 2021, that discusses the pandemic’s impact on businesses and employees. You can download the full 191 page report or you can watch a 2-minute summary for additional information.
Here are 3 takeaways that stood out to me:
- Globally, 80% of team members are not engaged.
- The workforce reported higher stress, worry, anger, and sadness.
- To be successful in the future, organizations will not only have to create profit, but will help employees to thrive and weather crises.
One of the best ways to make sure that team members are engaged is to make sure they are working in their strengths. That is where WeAlign can help … if you get people working in their strengths, they are more energized, more fulfilled, more joyous – in short, more engaged.
Some other interesting points from the document:
Regardless of where you live, one cannot go a day without hearing news about COVID. Whether it is on social media, new outlets or in every day conversations, one would think that the average worker was impacted in some form by COVID. I was surprised to find that only 45% of individuals polled felt that COVID had affected their life “a lot”.
Greater issues that affect the workplace are life issues, productivity in the workplace and stress.
The most important tip to remember is that if you want to be a good leader, you must have clear communication with your team. This will encourage an amazing work environment as it will also cultivate trust between yourself and your team members.
Life is full of relationships whether is it with family, business, or other areas in life such as church or volunteering.
A stark finding shows that only 32% of people feel as though they are thriving. How can you as a leader connect with those individuals in the workplace who are not thriving? By lending an ear and communicating with your team you could truly make a difference in their life.
There are many different ways that you can impact your team members. Bonuses and time off with pay are appreciated by employees and can boost the team’s morale by making them feel appreciated.
Creating an environment with open communication is a must as well. Stress, sadness, anger and worry are real issues for staff members. Provide your team members a safe place to discuss these issues and more! Offer a listening ear but do not judge.
You can create some positive vibes within your team this week by focusing on one or two individuals. A small gesture goes a long way. It can be as simple as a favorite treat, complementing their outfit, or genuinely asking how they are doing. By doing so, you will create a stronger atmosphere for your team.
Dale Young is a CliftonStrengths, Leadership, and Teamwork coach who loves to help people discover and live their you-unique-ness. He can be reached at dale@coachdale.com.