Commitment and meaning at work, a winning combo for companies

To prepare the return to the office and take a step back, we offer a series of 5 articles throughout the month of August focusing on 5 human-centric projects to come in a company transformation. Each of these articles is based on our study “Transformations: 5 proposals to put humans back at the hearth of the game” published last June that you can download here. 

Facing the growing talent shortage, companies had to adapt their arguments and develop differentiating elements to attract and, above all, retain the best talents.

Meaning at work: an opportunity to strengthen employee commitment…

The lockdown period was an opportunity for many employees to take a step back from their professional activity. The questions that had been postponed before were brought to light by this forced inactivity period, whether it was a question of noting that the balance between professional and personal life had become unbalanced or questioning the meaning of one’s own profession. This triggering factor comes as an echo to a fundamental trend: talents are increasingly looking for consistency between their personal commitments, whether environmental or social, and their company’s policies. 

By developing and promoting their corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies, companies are responding to this trend in the best possible way. Whether it is a question of social commitments in favor of diversity, local employment or the ecological footprint reduction, communications are multiplying to demonstrate that the action of the company concerned is part of a broader approach than just the pursuit of profit.

Employees’ pursuit of meaning also concerns their daily lives and a growing number of them are looking for a professional environment that is propitious to their personal development. Companies that allow associative involvement during or alongside working hours, attach importance to work-life balance or encourage participative innovation thus stand out from their competitors by making a more personalized promise to their candidates. Employee commitment becomes multifaceted and allows them to devote time to another activity. Far from reducing their professional involvement, it reinforces their attachment to the company.

Finally, many companies are trying to set themselves apart by working on improving the quality of life and well-being of their employees. The Great Place to Work rankings and platforms such as Glassdoor have given a lot of visibility to these topics. Candidates can now get a much clearer picture of the company’s living environment even before a first exchange, reinforcing the urgency for the company to consider the topic.

… on the condition that it is truly integrated into the company’s strategy.

Giving meaning to the work of its employees allows to involve them in more than just the financial perspective. For example, 59% of managers think that their company’s social commitment is a motivating factor for employees. However, it must be more than just a communication plan.

A well-constructed employer brand that highlights the company’s mission will certainly succeed in attracting talents, but this image will not be a long-lasting illusion if it does not reflect a real project that guides the organization. Three elements are essential for the consistent deployment of such a project: defining a common sense that will serve as a guideline for the company, setting clear and ambitious objectives, and finally being accountable for the execution of these objectives. Some entities have even taken this approach a step further with the status of a mission company, which formalizes, in addition to the for-profit purpose, the social or environmental purpose of the organization.

Finally, companies need to evaluate quantitively the results of Human Resources’ efforts on the topics of well-being at work and diversity that contribute to strengthen employee commitment. Commitment, well-being, and inclusion must become indicators of the company’s health monitored by managers in the same way as financial indicators.

A case study conducted by Akoya’s teams with a French leader providing employee benefits services shows that team collaboration strengthens overall business performance. These Key Human Indicators are therefore visible markers of the company’s willingness to improve the employee experience, but also allow to objectify its success. 

Read the following article: « Sufficient resources to transform with employees »