Imagine you are a new entry level employee in your first few months at work. You come to the office for 4 days a week per company policy and complete the assignments and your manager doesn't give you much feedback, so you feel a bit lost. When you stop thinking about it, you've actually met her one-on-one only twice since you started three months ago.
Now imagine you as the manager of that entry level employee. With 20 in-person reports, I find it difficult to barely hold tabs about who is doing what and schedule regular one-on-one check-in. They have weekly team meetings to coordinate and engage people and have an open door policy where people can swing to chat.
The above scenario illustrates one of the biggest challenges facing workers today, according to a new Korn Ferry report that surveys more than 15,000 workers worldwide, from newly created employees to CEOs. The results were eye-opening. From missing managers to generational anxiety and AI concerns, the workforce has evolved with clips, making it difficult for employers to maintain the pace. Certainly, I have found five takeaways for employers to wear radar.
1. Missing Manager
It is not surprising that in recent years, many companies have cut their middle managers from the ranks to reduce labor costs. In our survey, 41% of US workers reported cuts in company managers, so they felt they had no direction. At the same time, leaders feel they are no longer able to handle their work in front of them, and 43% of senior executives doubt their ability to fulfill their responsibilities. This has led some leaders to rethink whether flats are actually superior.
2. Generational anxiety
One unintended consequence of a more flatter organization may be the way generations interact and see the workplace today. Three of the four Gen Z workers say they struggle with intergenerational collaboration. This is in stark contrast to nearly 50% of baby boomers report no such issues.
The way I see it, the latest generation of workers are eager to be taken under someone else's wings. Still, since there are not enough managers to do this, understanding what good collaboration, communication and performance looks like is a lofty desire instead of a rite of passage.
3. Salary narrowing
Not surprisingly, given the rising economic uncertainty, today's workforce is significantly shocking employment safety and wages, regardless of age. The survey found that rising cost of living was a concern that 72% of US workers are worried that wages are not keeping up to the times, and 35% of workers feel that they are below the value of their skills. This data binds the reader. Paying people often, but providing low job security doesn't work, and paying people doesn't provide better job security.
4. Hybrid headaches
Flexibility is paramount to workers if you want to attract or retain great talent. Most US employees prefer remote or hybrid jobs, but only 32% have access to it. This factor is so important to workers that 58% of people said they would stay at work dislike If that allowed them the flexibility they needed. I don't know what will happen if it doesn't stop the leader on their tracks and prove the need for more hybrid or remote arrangements.
5. New (AI) World Order
While US employees are generally optimistic about AI, concerns about job movement persist and there is a major disconnect between leaders' AI strategies and employee perceptions. When asked if the leader thought he understood AI, 56% of employees said they agreed, compared to 78% of senior executives. Additionally, 70% of leaders believe they have an AI strategy, but only 39% of employees who agreed to what the organization did were employees.
Data shows that senior leaders need to increase awareness and understanding of AI and make clear to employees how AI will affect organizations or the risk of being overtaken by technology.
The road ahead
In summary, the findings of the research point to several areas of improvement for leaders to explore. First of all, it may be worth rethinking how your company slams the number of manager roles to NUB. Certainly, you saved quite a bit of money to take away those high salaries, but short-term savings may make your company even higher with inefficient operations and inadequate training for both new hires and future managers.
It is also clear that leaders cannot afford to communicate inadequately about AI and pay. The concern for both is that workers are worried about their future and redo their resumes multiple times. In fact, few companies can know exactly how they deploy AI, but smart leaders know or should know an overview of how they will operate in the next few years. Similarly, addressing employment safety concerns can help your workforce by providing them with a path to heightening.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the message from our research is that we cannot assume that leaders know the desires and needs of employees. They tried it but almost failed. With the workforce and five generations of organizations running globally, a one-size-fits-all approach to employee engagement and performance will not work. Like a great product team, leaders need to see their employees as customers and find their motivation, learning style, and how to give feedback. This cannot be done simply in a series of direct reports. Cultivating quality work relationships requires time and a variety of techniques.
