Managing employee expectations, communicating openly, and supporting the needs of the multigenerational workforce are key to motivating employees despite ongoing challenges.
By Simon Kent
HR professionals may not be able to predict the future, but they do need to create strategies to prepare—whether that’s to deal with what the company is going to do, what global events might unfold, or just to deal with the demands of employees.
At the HRO Today Forum EMEA, Elliot Clark hosted a panel and the panelists were challenged to outline how they were able to inspire and motivate their workforces despite the challenging scenarios around them. Interestingly, despite the diverse nature of the panelists’ industries—from cement to aviation—shared concerns and ideas emerged.
The management of employee expectations was one aspect of HR which all panelists considered important. Gloria Byamugisha, group chief human resources officer at Dangote Cement, highlighted the need for clarity from HR and this included not creating expectations unless there was certainty that those expectations would be met. Not delivering on promises undoubtedly leads to mistrust and cynicism among the workforce. “We don’t want to say we’ll deliver something we can’t,” said Byamugisha, “and similarly our job is to create an environment where people can deliver.”
Communications were also important for the panelists. AJW’s Jane Hossack said their business has a clear vision about where it is going, generated and inspired by their CEO. This vision is then pushed throughout the business by HR, to every section and individual. Hossack said the communication plan includes a fair amount of repetition to ensure the message gets across while HR also works to create a culture where employees feel safe and able to open up and raise any concerns they have.
If issues do emerge, it is important that HR responds promptly and appropriately. Omowunmi Mabel Adewusi, general counsel and human resources director at AXA Mansard, explained that issues raised in their town hall discussions need to be addressed promptly and appropriately with suitable action to demonstrate that employee views matter and are actively considered.
This discussion led to insights into managing diverse generations in the workplace. The multigenerational workforce is thought to present HR with unique challenges at the moment, but while some feel this mainly means communications need to be adapted for each section of the workforce, others are less concerned about tailoring their messages. For example, Hossack felt it was necessary to provide diverse strategies to make sure each generation was properly engaged. She described creating a “tool box” for management and engagement purposes across their agile workforce. On the other hand, Byamugisha’s approach was more straightforward. “Communication is vital,” she agreed. “But that means we need to get straight to the point. We make sure we are very clear in what we say and we do not use ‘adult’ words. We need to make sure everybody understands.”
“People are experiencing different life events at different times. Employers need to be able to offer different options and flexible benefits programmes which mean you can enable your people to choose the solutions that are most important to them.” – Sengul Arslan
Sengul Arslan, chief human resources officer at SISECAM, said that for her business, there was a clear distinction that needed to be made in how messages were communicated to different generations. The message would still be the same, but the format and the method by which that message was communicated would be tailored. Alongside this, their rewards and benefits structure has been created to recognise the different priorities and needs of each generation. “People are experiencing different life events at different times,” said Arsian. “Employers need to be able to offer different options and flexible benefit programmes which mean you can enable your people to choose the solutions that are most important to them.”
For many of the HR professionals on the panel, it was key to ensure that line managers implicitly understand what they need to do to engage with and inspire their direct employees. While HR can create the appropriate background environment and culture for the business, they need the people who do the job every day to understand how to manage their staff and how that approach fits in with the direction and vision of the company. Adewusi suggested that line managers do need to be given the freedom to do this job in the way they feel is most appropriate. In this context, the solution appears to be that HR is there to offer a wider structure from which individuals—be they managers or employees—can access the resources they need to inspire and motivate their workers.
The panel also considered whether the newer generations entering the workforce were coming to work with the right skills and attitudes. While skills gaps and knowledge can be addressed through effective and ongoing training, it was felt that sometimes the younger generation’s attitude to work could be difficult to negotiate. However, as one panelist noted, while there may be more emphasis on how the younger generations feel and their emotional status at work, it should be remembered that everyone has emotions that need to be considered. The younger generations do not have a unique right to emotional support: It is something everyone should receive. Perhaps the key to managing the younger generations, however, is understanding their expectations from a technological perspective. The first digitally native generation has entered the workforce, and they want their employer to accept the way they use technology and be ready to accept them using the latest tech for what they need to do.
“I would say that the biggest thing is we need to be flexible with our approach,” said Byamugisha, “especially with technology. The younger generations are tech savvy and they will ask why they can’t communicate through the technology they want to use whether we think its right for the business or not.” The panel agreed that flexibility should also extend to hybrid and working from home where possible and practical. After all, there is little point in insisting that an employee comes into the office to work if they are more productive when they are remote.
While dealing with the ongoing challenges of diverse generations and wider global influences, HR still continues to deliver on its own agenda. Panelists reported that they were completing or working on digital and process transformations to enhance the performance of their businesses, clearly showing that while HR is critical to managing the here and now, it is also continually preparing the organisation for the future.
