The effects of the pandemic have not only been negative. Many felt a variation in the work-life balance that they had not previously thought possible. Although many organizations rushed to return to the old normal, workers realized that things could work differently. Especially the young generations.
Along with this work-life balance, employees of the so-called generations Y and Z (19-35 years old) have discovered other opportunities, such as inclusive work environments, personal well-being and mental health, Too valuable to trade.
The Adecco group carries out the survey every year #CtheFuture 3.0, which in 2022 included 1,685 participants from all over the planet, some of them graduates of the CEO (executive director) For One Month 2022 initiative. Most of them (76%) were between 18 and 30 years old. More than half were women.
Paúl Murillo, Adecco Ecuador Consulting and Training Manager, believes that organizations and companies need to direct actions towards mental health to connect with their current and future collaborators, and let go of the control model to take over the trust model. “Work for indicator management, generate strategies to find out how young people feel about leaders”. The challenge for companies is retention, being attractive to these profiles, generating these well-being spaces in the work environment.
“There is definitely a clash in the dynamics of companies and the new generations,” confirms clinical psychologist Tamara Toledo, facilitator in business mental health. “They are much more empathetic and sensitive, not only on ecological and diversity issues, but also on what is understood by well-being.” This sensitivity, and not a simple rebellion, means that young people have little permanence in a jobbecause of their opinion of the old-school, orthodox and authoritarian management style.
And that means leaders have to get involved and develop their own empathy, assertive communication, and other soft skills. Well, this is one of the biggest conclusions of the survey: if in 2019 69% of those surveyed thought that soft skills were more important in a CEO than academic and technical onesthree years later the opinion has advanced towards 82%.
The most voted, along with communication, critical thinking and emotional intelligence, are team leadership and people management, the ability to make decisions. Those are the leaders that young people want to work with. High academic levels do not impress them as before.
Too demanding to find a job? The survey seems to indicate otherwise. In 2022, two thirds of those consulted stated that they were able to access their first job or a new one. Perhaps the catch is the flexible working hours (only 30% opted for the 8-hour model), but once there, they’ll look at something else: the ability of leaders to manage remote teams.
And yet, the greatest attraction for the new generations is the possibility of taking care of themselves, of persisting in what is good for them. They want to find a job and they want fair pay, but more than anything else they want to keep their sanity.
A) Yes, Young people are looking for results-based work management models, as well as flexibility to generate healthy habits and conditions. The implementation of hybrid models, balance between work and personal life, “knowing that I am receiving not only economic remuneration, but also an emotional salary,” says Murillo. They also have expectations of collaborative and trusting work schemes.
“It is a strong shock; they are very free spirits and minds”, sums up Toledo. They feel that there is no need to “put up” in a job if it robs them of well-being and mental health. For them, it is very important to have a harmonious relationship, that spaces are respected in a clear and real way, says the psychologist, because they feel that the limits have been diluted in the pandemic.
For companies it is a great challenge. It is training, training and reinventing in human resource management, and the first ones who have to go through this are the leaders. Another action is to create internal policies that allow having collaborative spaces and psycho-emotional well-being programs related to company strategy.
“At the end of the day, a motivated worker is very clear about what he must do, not only from his functions, but also as a participant”; he knows the level of responsibility and contribution to the company. This greatly changes the landscape and the results are evident, says Murillo.
But it is not about companies making absolute concessionsadds the psychologist, but to achieve a balance and generate a commitment to co-responsibility.
“There has to be an empowerment”, Toledo adds, “there is a co-responsibility on the part of the young people: they must take the time to see where they are entering”, so that the shock does not make them abandon abruptly. To make a more adequate match with the corporation, one must assume the challenge of knowing the organizational culture and analyze if it goes with personal values.
And if, among those values, Latin America is turning its gaze to mental health in the corporate context, it must be worked from there. “If we provide people with resources and tools, we will march in a healthier and more efficient way.”
A warning to companies. Murillo and Toledo say that The biggest challenge they have encountered is that the vision of the person leading is not replicated by the rest of the team. “We work from the leaders, because that is the best way in which we can impact the organization,” says the consultant.
He adds that Human Resources is at the center of everything, as long as it is capable of creating strategies aligned with the business vision. “You must use different models of human talent management, such as measurement of the work environment, performance evaluation, measurement of organizational culture, salary studies and development activities, internal equity and job evaluation”.
Leaders cannot lose focus and go back to old habits. They should receive tools to manage remote teams. “And you need a program to empower leadership; not to teach how to be a leader, but to enhance personal, social and management skills, to generate a personal transformation that is sustained over time”. (F)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
