Six Things People Need At Work in 2022
Trying to understand what your people will need in 2022? Here’s what our clients are saying about their people’s current and future needs. These organizations believe this year will demand that leaders help their people “feel more human,” whether they are working remotely or face-to-face.
More Joy,
OYF
1. PLAY
“We need to remember how to play.” - Nike Designer
Nike is one of the world’s most innovative companies, but even they need practice recapturing the sense of “play” that leads to an “explorer mindset” and transformative ideas. A part of Nike’s return to work is an intentional return to play.
2. DAILY INCLUSIVITY
“We need everyday inclusive behaviors.” - ServiceNow Leader
While increasing awareness of unconscious bias remains important, what is increasingly apparent is that organizations also need to work on everyday inclusive behaviors. ServiceNow’s inclusivity initiative, led by truly passionate and thoughtful leaders, is leveraging the organization's new awareness of unconscious bias to build better inclusive habits.
3. STORY ACROSS MEDIUMS
“We need to tell so many stories in so many ways to so many audiences.” - Owens Corning Brand Strategy Leader
Leaders now need to tell stories on countless mediums including Zoom, e-mail, and Slack, just to name a few. Brands also share messages through so many more channels such as TikTok, Instagram, live streams, signage, and television. To meet these demands, Owens Corning is focusing on the fundamentals of story and exploring what needs to change story-wise depending on the medium.
4. IMPROV AND FLEXIBILITY
“We need be able to ‘let go’ and be more flexible in how we work.” - P&G Design Leader
Organizations always need to be flexible, but new changes to the workplace and marketplace are demanding even more flexibility. As The New York Times highlighted in a recent front page article, leaders have been forced to embrace uncertainty. Leaders and designers at P&G are looking to further develop a generalized “improv mindset” to better adapt when things change.
5. ACTING ON VALUES
“We need to find how to be ourselves in these new ways of working.” - Anonymous Client
Acting on organizational values is always difficult, but acting on your values in a world that has radically changed is even harder. If companies don’t take the time to reflect on how their old values make sense in new spaces, they will not be effective in living their values.
6. CONNECTION
“We really need connection.” - Bed, Bath, & Beyond Leader
Companies are asking us for connection work more than ever. Bed, Bath, & Beyond, is one of many clients creating the space for dedicated employee "connection" sessions.
