Are you lucky enough to have one, perhaps several people you can turn to when you want to hash out a concern? Chances are these companions engage with you easily and completely. They listen intently, care about what you’re saying, and respond objectively, yet keyed to who you are and your needs. What a blessing. They have a certain knack, a gift to be treasured. It’s called “empathy.”    

Empathy is “both a trait and a skill.” An all-encompassing way of being, of interacting with the world, it’s an always-on mindset that functions across all facets of our lives. 

There are many dimensions of empathy. And there are just as many, if not more, benefits to individuals and companies alike in embracing and strengthening this capability, especially now. This post sets it all out. 

What’s in this Word — Empathy?  
Merriam-Webster defines empathy as “the action of [or capacity for] understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.”  

Don’t confuse empathy with sympathy, advises this same source. They’re not the same. Sympathy “implies sharing (or having the capacity to share) the feelings of another.” Empathy is different. It is “imagining, or having the capacity to imagine, feelings that one does not actually have.” The distinction: Empathy “is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place. Essentially it is putting yourself in someone else’s position and feeling what they must be feeling.” Empathy gives you the capability “to walk a mile in another’s shoes.”  

Empathy is broad and complex. To depict this concept, two psychologists deconstructed it into three main stages. Think of this roadmap as a hierarchical set of blocks that builds on one another to illustrate how empathy works: 

• Cognitive empathy: This first step relates to awareness and power to get into another person’s head, discern their state-of-mind, and sense what they’re experiencing.    
• Emotional empathy: From the initial base, this phase goes deeper to engage with a person, establish rapport, and emotionally connect. 
• Compassionate empathy: This next level pertains to taking action, responding, comforting, and otherwise helping to address a person’s situation.

Putting This All to Use 
There’s no disputing it. Empathy offers practical and prized advantages. And they pertain to our lives on and off the job. Let us count the ways.  

Empathy offers a host of pluses, says a post on Verywellimind.com.  It acts as the glue to make social relationships. It provides not only the insight into emotions but also the ability to keep them in check. And as noted, it fosters “helping behaviors” in social interactions, both when giving and receiving it. 

Mindtools.com captures the significance of empathy in a single sentence. “It’s one of the five key components of emotional intelligence, and it helps to build trust and strengthen relationships.” There’s more according to “Five Ways Empathy Is Good for Your Health.”  

This Psychology Today piece explains that empathy reduces stress. How? It aids us in managing difficult situations. It provides the wherewithal to communicate effectively and collaborate. What’s more, empathy “guides our moral compass” along the lines of the Golden Rule to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” CNN adds: “Empathy is a fundamental building block for conflict resolution and understanding and bonding with others.”  

In all, empathy “enables people to get on with others, whether it be a loved one, colleague, friend or complete stranger.” And here’s a pivotal point for this discussion. “Ultimately, it is essential for developing good relationships, both in your personal life and at work.” 

The Merit of Empathy in Business 
Why is empathy desirable in a business setting? Enterpreneur.com reports that “this traditionally soft skill yields hard, bottom-line results for organizations big and small” by: 

• Boosting brand purchases, loyalty, and recommendations. Empathy enables sales/marketing teams to home in on what customers need and want, pitch products/services, drive repeat business, and generate recommendations.      
• Enhancing “productivity and innovation.” Employees who possess and wield strong empathy tend to be high performers and thinkers. They excel at working well with others and solving problems. 
• Outpacing the competition. Who knew sensing and feeling could have such a favorable effect in the dog-eat-dog commercial arena? The 2016 Empathy Index identified the “Most Empathetic Companies” and crunched the numbers to show that they generated superior market share and industry ranking.   
• Creating a collaborative culture. Organizations high on the empathy spectrum “attract highly engaged individuals,” who typically choose to remain with the company and have high levels of job satisfaction. 

No wonder a post touts empathy as “the most important business skill.” This point of view comes from the power it exerts to enhance product development, customer service and team dynamics. For the many reasons cited, it suggests that “empathy should be embedded into the entire organization…. There is nothing soft about it. It is a hard skill that should be required from the board-room to the shop floor.” “The Importance of Empathy in the Workplace” adds to this list. It says that empathy engenders an atmosphere where employees can take risks, enables managers to identify performance issues, and encourages them to help employees “improve and excel.”  

Now More than Ever 
Empathy in the business space is of genuine worth at any time. But in today’s Covid-infused world, it is a vital lever for success. That’s why a World Economic Forum post frames it as “a must-have business strategy” at this juncture. Burned out from the pandemic, overstressed and overburdened, both employees and companies would benefit from a strong shot of empathy. It acts as a force to buttress work-life balance and other issues that result from ongoing pressures.   

This notion flows from new research by Catalyst. Findings show “not only is empathy an effective business strategy, it is a strategic imperative to respond to crisis, transformation, and a critical ingredient for building inclusive workplaces where everyone can belong, contribute and thrive.”  

Others agree. Forbes frames empathy as “The Next Business Disruptor.” Why?  Covid produced undue demands and anxieties on people and organizations. As such, brands need to generate superior human-centric experiences for their stakeholders, namely customers and employees. To this end, this post opines that the top brands will be “the most empathetic” to deliver customer value. They also will focus on imbuing their internal culture with empathy “to bring out the best in its people.” In all, when empathy is the hallmark of a business, those who are part of it “understand that we all have different needs, challenges and perspectives.” These attuned employees “are more likely to cultivate strong relationships with customers and their team members — going the extra mile for them and for the company.”   

Can empathy “Fight The Great Resignation”? Fortune thinks so. “Empathy, not efficiency, is the answer to burnout and the way for companies to avoid finding themselves on the losing end of The Great Resignation.” This post urges organizations to design people-centric ways of thinking and operating. “No matter the industry, empathy can and will be the defining variable that creates trust. And trust builds loyalty.”   

How to Strengthen Empathy 
Is empathy inborn or acquired? The debate rages on. But Psychology Today notes: “Empathy is an innate capacity that needs to be developed, and to see it as a detail in a larger picture.”    

That said, what are ways to fortify empathy?  On a personal level, consider tips from Indeed:  

• Take listening to another level. Practice “active listening,” which is “listening to a speaker to understand their question or request before thinking of a response.” It laser focuses your attention and gets you inside their head and heart. 
• Craft what you say for the intended target(s). Think about the composition and needs of your audience, then adapt your messaging to make the best impact. Vary words and terms used, delivery, and other factors to those on the receiving end. 
• Practice compassion. Put the third phase of empathy into motion. Swing into action. Offer to help. Then help. It shows you understand and care.   
• Rewind and recast. Clear your own cache, your usual way of thinking to welcome in other perspectives.  Learn to get outside yourself. It enables you to start with a blank slate to detect others’ drifts and desires.
• Pop the questions. Ask away to ensure you’re on the right track. Don’t assume you know what someone is expressing. Get to the root of an individual’s purpose, views and feelings.  
• “Validate their feelings.” Communicate you heard what a person said. Confirm you know it’s important and you are available. “You practice empathy by acknowledging what they are experiencing, which can have a positive impact on the conversation.”  

What can companies do to foster an empathetic work environment? Forbes advises to:  

• Go top down. Empathetic company culture starts at the highest reaches. The top tier “must commit to doing whatever it takes to give employees a great working experience so that everyone across the organization has everything needed to deliver their best.”  
• Bake empathy into responsibilities. Spread the empathy word to managers; make them accountable for committing to and practicing empathy. 
• Engage employees. Solicit feedback, involve in decisions, convey news, and make them part of a transparent culture. Give all “the freedom to explore and have the chance to give voice to their ideas.”  
• Craft a safe environment. Make everyone feel comfortable to share their experiences of achievement and failure. “Celebrate vulnerability” because “vulnerable discussions involving differing perspectives go a long way toward creating an empathetic culture based on trust.”    
• Determine true values. What does the organization stand for? Identify, communicate, and see it through. “Organizations that commit to their values and lead with empathy will see a powerful first-mover advantage.”   

“Take the leap” is the message to draw from these last bullet points. And what is the overriding takeaway from this post? Two words: Empathy Matters.

About the author. 
You name it, she covers it. That’s the can-do attitude Sherry M. Adler brings to the craft of writing. A polished marketing and communications professional, she has a passion for learning and the world at large. She uses it plus the power of words to inform and energize stakeholders of all kinds. And to show how all of this can make a difference, she calls her business WriteResults NY, LLC.

According to Gartner’s 2020 CMO Spend Survey, during the first year of the pandemic, a whopping 32 percent of marketing work formerly completed by an outside agency moved in-house. While the obvious benefit is cost-savings, this technique also increases efficiencies and allows strategic creative control.

Because they are fully dedicated to one brand, in-house agency teams are generally smaller than marquee agencies of record, and a slimmer team equals less overhead. However, during major communications and marketing campaigns, this can pose a challenge. When a significant amount of top-quality content must be produced and disseminated — social media posts, graphic design assets, blog posts, etc. — the in-house team can find themselves overwhelmed. What if you’re on multiple deadlines and your in-house agency is tight on bandwidth and in need of content production support?

Enter overflow support. “Adding contractors and freelancers will help you avoid hiring too many full-time equivalents (FTEs) unless and until a full workload is warranted and sustained by business needs,” writes Sally Witzky of Gartner. Tapping into flexible resources allows in-house agencies to “monitor resource allocation and to effectively use in-house talent.” In fact, 36 percent of survey respondents told Gartner they develop their digital marketing strategy sets in-house but depend on agencies and third parties for execution.

Creative360

Creative360 is Creative Circle’s solutions division that helps clients with in-house agencies ramp up content creation during major projects. We draw from Creative Circle’s nationwide pool of creative, marketing, and digital talent to build overflow production studios that work seamlessly as extensions of in-house agencies. The in-house agency drives the overall project strategy, while Creative360 selects a team to provide clients with the highest-quality deliverables, whatever they may be.

Hiring freelancers to churn out content is a familiar strategy. But Creative360 provides even more value to clients by providing an experienced marketing expert to serve as engagement lead, free of charge. The engagement lead assesses how best to relieve the client’s pain points, curates a team, integrates them into the client’s existing systems and workflows, and oversees them to ensure they consistently deliver high-quality work on time. Engagement leads also provide full financial oversight, keep track of a client’s budget, and manage team onboarding, timecards, and training.

This is all done without the retainers and high fees of AORs and without the headaches of working with unfamiliar teams.  And if a client loves a candidate, they can convert them to a full-time employee with ease!

Overflow production studios at work

One example — an international CPG house of brands was in the final phase of a campaign to boost brand equity but lacked a channel strategy to socialize the campaign. They needed a partner to help deliver a one-month campaign concept and social calendar and create more than 70 digital assets, in less than four weeks. Creative360 assembled a team of an art director, two designers, and a copywriter, and in three weeks, we created four animated banners, 51 social assets, and a newsletter. The client has retained Creative360 to direct its organic social strategy and take on more overflow projects such as sizzle reels, new product splash pages, and animated Instagram gifs.

“The challenge is to monitor resource allocation and to effectively use in-house talent,” writes Sally Witzky. “Adding contractors and freelancers will help you avoid hiring too many full-time equivalents (FTEs) unless and until a full workload is warranted and sustained by business needs.”

Another client, a national commercial real estate firm, needed speed, skill, and labor to manage the ever-growing workload of their local marketing teams. Specifically, they needed to relieve their teams of the ongoing, pressing task of updating templates for business and marketing collateral. Creative360 assembled a group of outstanding production artists and paired them with a skilled project manager to create a production design hub. Working closely with their leadership team, we deployed a process and tracking tool that aligned seamlessly with their established process. Our quick support and process implementation significantly increased output during the pilot phase, and nearly all Creative360 talent has been retained by the client for future strategic initiatives.

The bottom line

There are myriad situations where it makes sense to let Creative360 support your in-house teams with stellar content — you’re on deadline and understaffed and overwhelmed; you don’t need a permanent, full-time creative team but you need to produce a volume of impeccable content in a short period of time; you’ve just launched a massive campaign and your in-house agency needs some outside help to drive the project… Whatever your need, Creative360 has the people, the expertise, and the agility you require. Find out more at creativecircle.com/clients/creative360.
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Situations where you could use an overflow production studio

An overflow production studio is the perfect solution when you have the strategy covered, but you need extra hands to create assets during a major project. Maybe your agency of record is too expensive, or your internal team just doesn’t have the bandwidth to keep up. Clients often face these problems in situations such as:

• Developing assets for a marketing or advertising campaign
• Designing and launching a new website
• Rolling out a new line of products
• Leading an internal digital transformation
• Targeting new customers, or existing customers in a new way
• Implementing a new workforce or project management system
• Transforming your customer experience program
• Rebranding your company or products
• Building a diversity, equity, and inclusion program
• Transitioning to a refreshed companywide intranet

“Out of sight, out of mind” is an adage from centuries ago that lives on today. Merriam-Webster defines it as when “a person stops thinking about something or someone if he or she does not see that thing or person for a period of time.” I had this concern about 25 years ago, when I applied to my then employer’s new program for split in-office and home-based work. I worried: would not being in the office full-time jeopardize my career? As a self-supporting single mother, I considered the pros and cons of this three days in and two days at home arrangement. But family took precedence, and in all, I appreciated the opportunity to take part in this initiative.

Fast forward to the 2020s and the disruption of life caused by the pandemic. COVID-19 changed the way many of us work and where that takes place. Those whose roles lent themselves to it moved from the office to a home work environment during the early stages of the pandemic. Since then, firms zigged and zagged on what to do and if/how to bring employees back as various variants emerged. At the time of this writing, most employees remain ingrained in their home office. However, companies are starting to summon their troops to return to the fold. That may take the form of full-time in-office but, more commonly, a mix of office and home.

As these categories emerged, so did terms to describe them. Welcome to “remote work,” “working from home,” or simply “WFH.” The “hybrid work model” pertains to an alternating office-home format. This blended design has become so popular that the World Economic Forum suggests “Hybrid working is here to stay.”

To remote and hybrid add the traditional in-office group. All together, they conjure up a phrase that brings us to where this post began. It evokes the same potential fears I once experienced, but with a new world twist.

And that is “proximity bias.”

“The Road to the Top Is Paved with Being There” — Jack Welch, former CEO of GE

In one of his hits, singer/songwriter Stephen Stills underscored the value of being front and center. He mused about what to do “if you can’t be with the one you love.” His suggestion: “Love The One You’re With.” In the broadest sense, this theme refers to the role proximity plays in our lives. That includes the business world and our office lives. It raises a point fundamental to this post: will those in plain sight fare better in the eyes of their employers than those who are WFH and on hybrid schedules?

That’s the gist of proximity bias. The BBC explains. “Proximity bias is an unconscious — and unwise — tendency to give preferential treatment to those in our immediate vicinity. Once a matter of who is based at HQ and who works at a regional office, the definition of proximity in today’s business world is evolving.”

Studies show that people who are present receive more favorable treatment. What happens to those who are offsite? They may lose out. “Unintentionally excluding remote workers from the most high-profile projects, insights, and relationship-building mitigates their chances to qualify for promotions, among other career and networking opportunities,” reports Globalization Partners.

Additionally, firms may fail to hire the best employees by favoring candidates who attend interviews in person. The same principle applies to business decisions; communications factor into proximity bias too. For example, the views of those at the table at meetings may predominate and drown out what could be valuable input from others. “As a result, projects move more slowly because mistakes are made and misunderstandings arise.”

Do In-Office Optics Rule?

Can this happen to you or occur at your company? A word used in the previous section to describe the extent of proximity bias offers a clue: “prevalent.” Smack dab in the headline of a post on Bloomberg.com is a more pointed glimpse: “Bosses Admit to ‘Proximity Bias.” The content gets right to it. “Among the biggest worries that executives have about remote work is a phenomenon known as ‘proximity bias,’ meaning that the people who choose to return to offices will get ahead, while those who stay at home will fall behind.”

This same news story lays out proximity bias by the numbers. A survey by Future Forum, commissioned by Slack, explored this matter. The group engaged a sample of more than 10,000 white-collar workers. What were the top-line results? “More than four out of 10 executives ranked the potential inequities between remote and in-office employees as their number one concern.”

It also shines a light on another angle of this problem. “Women and minority workers are more likely than other groups to want to stay home, adding to fears that the return to office push could further exacerbate workplace inequalities.”

Note “inequities” and “inequalities” in the quotes. They are contrary to diversity and inclusion priorities. Will proximity bias thwart them? A Future Forum executive draws attention to this possibility. “Companies have to understand that their diversity efforts and their future of work plans are going to be linked,” he says.

“Proximity bias disproportionately affects certain groups of workers, including working mothers, those in lower cost-of-living areas, and those with disabilities,” reports Ring Central.

How Companies Can Conquer Proximity Bias

Don’t turn a blind eye. Proximity bias exists, and it’s not going away on its own. “As with addressing most biases, the solution isn’t to avoid the challenge, but to determine the best path to solve those challenges in a systematic way.” That’s the advice from Globalization Partners. They add: “With proximity bias in the workplace, the solution is not to bring everyone back to the office, but to build guidelines and operating models that address this particular challenge, and account for distributed teams during both the big decision-making conversations and the small.”

Here are some of the ways:

Start by being aware

The first step in overcoming any difficulty is to know it exists. Next comes owning up to it. Then you’re poised to do something constructive. “Be aware of it,” recommends Qlearsite.com, “and make others aware; educate yourself and other managers about proximity bias, so it’s top of mind.”

Train leadership

The reference to education above introduces the need for a full cycle of learning. That process entails training managers to understand the arc of proximity bias, including fine points. It engages them in developing action plans. The focus should be on ways to prevent this from happening. But it also includes backtracking to rectify the situation that may exist.

Frame and stipulate

Put in place new principles and policies for work. Then share them with employees. Take a tip from How Proximity Bias Affects the Hybrid Workplace from Thought Exchange. “On an organizational level, leaders need to be clear about what they are doing to minimize bias. This should include company-specific expectations about when and where work gets done and an outline of the process that explains how workers will be recognized and promoted.”

Reformulate productivity

“Eliminating proximity bias will require a rethink of how we approach remote work.” This is where metrics come into play. “Proximity bias: the next big challenge for hybrid and remote work” explains. “For years, many managers focused on superficial productivity indicators such as time-in-seats over qualitative measures that reflect actual work. Reversing proximity bias requires a shift …about what productivity looks like (and doesn’t look like).”

Apply technology

“Proximity bias: how to avoid excluding hybrid workers” offers a checklist to turn the tide. Firms should up their technology spend. How? With “better videoconferencing systems, interactive whiteboards and survey solutions for regular check-ins.”

Thought Exchange touts tech too. “Bring everyone into the same (virtual) room, even if only as individual rectangles on a screen” via video conferencing. And “for organizations that will maintain an office, set the requirement that everyone dials in from their desk.” For a live session, forward an agenda in advance to solicit ideas; and be sure to use collaboration software. What’s an informal tool to guard against proximity bias? Instant messaging. And an Enterprise Discussion Management (EDM) platform “offers a way to scale meaningful conversations across your entire organization digitally.”

Go top-down

“Leading by Example” comes from Fast Company. “Leaders need to show that remote working is viable and attainable.” Do so by modeling behavior — work at home at times in a way that’s visible, such as holding meetings from that venue. Ring Central reinforces this notion. “Leveling the playing field for hybrid workers means embracing this new workplace model at all levels of the business. Executives should also work hybrid schedules in order to eliminate any stigma from working from home and to send a message that remote work is valid and valued.”

Take a full roll call

“Preventing Proximity Bias in Hybrid Work Is Key to Closing Equity Gaps” takes on the equity issue. To set parameters for remote work, get feedback from all employees. Don’t make decisions without it. “If critical voices are not part of discussions that impact the entire company, leaders risk alienating a huge portion of their talent pool.” An HR exec suggests: “Companies need to evaluate their inclusiveness and build in processes designed to level things up between remote and office workers.”

Assign a dedicated resource

“Proximity bias is real. Returning to the office could make it worse” is the headline in a post on Protocol.com. But it offers remedies. One is to install a person to lead remote operations. “It needs to be someone’s job to create equitability and work to make the workplace inclusive and work against proximity bias.”

Employees: Listen Up

What can employees on WFH and hybrid schedules do to try to shield themselves from the effects of proximity bias? Pulling from my own experience, I offer the following points.

• Be readily available and amenable.
• Speak up; offer your feedback and constructive ideas.
• Communicate clearly, constructively, and regularly, but not unnecessarily or annoyingly.
• Provide your insights and especially your services.
• Volunteer for projects.
• Let it be known you are interested in taking on challenges and responsibilities.

Is proximity bias inevitable? If not recognized and grappled with directly, it may be. But as this post shows, there is much recent content available on this topic. That’s a good thing. Use it; bring it to the attention of influencers and decision makers. And do your part in keeping proximity bias at bay.

About the author.
You name it, she covers it. That’s the can-do attitude Sherry M. Adler brings to the craft of writing. A polished marketing and communications professional, she has a passion for learning and the world at large. She uses it plus the power of words to inform and energize stakeholders of all kinds. And to show how all of this can make a difference, she calls her business WriteResults NY, LLC. 

Productivity is driven by compensation, right? Not so fast…

Conventional wisdom says that if we just pay employees enough, they’ll be more productive. But it turns out there’s something more at play.

Here’s a mind-blowing fact: happy employees make for a more successful company. Research connecting productivity and employee happiness is revolutionizing how some innovative companies structure their culture and compensation (and no, that does not include slashing salaries and bonuses).

Surprise. Sadness. Fear. Disgust. Anger. Joy. Say hello to the six primary universal emotions. Joy is connected to thriving, which tells us when we’re moving towards things that can help us succeed. And little moments of joy can radically improve work performance.

A study cited by Harvard Business Review is part of a growing body of research chronicling the impact of a positive organizational environment for employers, employees, and yes — the bottom line. And the cost of disengagement is high. Studies by the Queens School of Business and the Gallup Organization showed that disengaged employees had:

• 60% more errors and defects
• 49% more accidents
• 37% higher absenteeism

A lack of happiness could be costing your company — a lot. Economists at the University of Warwick conducted a study that found that unhappy workers were 10% less productive overall. In contrast, those that were happy had a 12% spike in productivity, which led the research team to conclude that “human happiness has large and positive causal effects on productivity. Positive emotions appear to invigorate human beings.”

Joy was also found to beneficially impact working memory by 12%, an essential function of our brains that helps us complete work and tasks. If businesses can get 12% more productivity by injecting more joy into the workplace, it may be time to recraft company practices to help up-level joy in your workplace.

Yes, all jobs have aspects that are challenging and tedious. The goal is not to magically get rid of those aspects of work, but rather to focus on making work as happy as it can be.

Professor Andrew Oswald, one of the three Warwick study researchers, noted that “companies like Google have invested more in employee support and employee satisfaction has risen as a result. For Google, it rose by 37 percent; (and) they know what they are talking about. Under scientifically controlled conditions, making workers happier really pays off.”

Financial incentives alone are not enough to kick productivity into high gear. If you want to attract and retain top talent, providing the framework for an overarching purpose is vital. Igniting joy in the workplace requires a proactive approach that creates feelings of appreciation, wellbeing, and worth within a team.

Here’s how to spark more joy in the workplace:

1. Make work more meaningful. A joyful workplace starts with employees committed to its mission, vision, and values. Ensure people understand what they are working toward and what their role is in achieving that aim. People want to feel that they are essential to their team’s success, regardless of their job title. When they can see how their accomplishments contribute to achieving a business’s overarching goals, they gain a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment.
2. Acknowledge good work. Did you know that feeling underappreciated is the number one reason Americans leave their jobs? People want to be appreciated, and expressions of gratitude and appreciation help cultivate joy in the workplace. A simple “thank you” or “job well done,” particularly after completing a challenging project, can go a loooong way. Studies show that doubling the number of employees who regularly receive recognition has a powerful snowball effect, resulting in a 24% rise in work quality and a 27% reduction in absenteeism, among other benefits.
3. Craft a company culture centered on building relationships and community. Fun fuels joy. While it may not be a cardinal rule, it’s pretty close. Organizing team events where employees play, laugh, and solve problems together goes a long way to cultivating a culture of happiness and community.
4. Make storytelling part of your company culture. Teach important values through the stories told about company history, founding, and vision for the future. Encourage teams to share these stories with new teammates and the world. This storytelling pattern will deepen the sense of company culture, augmenting a sense of belonging as this history becomes part of an individual’s story.
5. Be the joy. It has been said that bosses command, but leaders influence. Ingrid Fetell Lee, former design director for IDEO and author of Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness, writes that in an office context, studies show that managers who exhibit more joy had teams who completed their work more quickly and cohesively. It turns out that joy feeds productivity and is contagious, too!

The Bottom Line

Want sustainable high performance for your company? Want to retain your best employees and attract top talent? Make joy a strategic imperative. Crafting a company culture that taps into the productive powers of joy and a strong sense of shared purpose and belonging is just smart business.

About the author.

An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist—Karina writes, produces, and edits compelling content across multiple platforms—including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Yahoo News, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties and has spanned insight pieces on psychedelic toad medicine to forecasting the future of work to why sustainability needs to become more sustainable.

All throughout the country, you see the same signs: HELP WANTED. “It’s not a ‘labor shortage,’ says the headline of an apt article in the Washington Post. What is it then? “It’s a great reassessment of work in America.”  

What should employers do?  

Creative Circle knows.  

Two professionals on staff, who have their pulse on this issue, offer their informed views. Britt Waitek, sales manager, and Lauren Kaminky, account executive, answered 10 of the top questions on the minds of employers today. 

Why is it so important to retain employees right now? 

Things have changed. “Where Have All the Workers Gone?” asks the question on the top of employers’ minds today and goes on to answer it too.  

In short, when an employee leaves a job, it’s not a simple backfill. In the best case, the departing employee gives the traditional two weeks’ notice when resigning. Finding and onboarding a qualified replacement in that timeframe is not realistic anymore. Count on that hole to last much longer, because there’s fierce competition for talent everywhere. In this environment, don’t expect to bring someone on in weeks. It takes months.  

Beyond the effort and time required to recruit, interview, and select a fitting candidate, there’s another challenge — getting the one at the top of the wish list to accept the offer. During this process, the existing team, likely spread thin already, struggles to get all the work done. That’s the reality of losing just one team member and the critical reason to maintain full staffing.    

How can employers attract and retain candidates? 

In this environment, employers need to convey what’s in it for employees to work in a role and at a firm. It’s no longer money alone. Employees value additional factors, such as growth potential as well as flexible hours and location. 

Employers need to adopt a new mindset about these and related tangibles and intangibles. For the first time in a long while, employers must sell candidates on working at their company. They need to do the same to retain staff. For recruiting, this process starts with the initial interview. That’s when the candidate starts evaluating the job and the place to work. Employers, take heed!  

Recruiting tip

In today’s fight for talent, the best candidates are available for not weeks, but only days. Time is of the essence. Recruit efficiently. Doing so says to candidates that they are a priority. Streamline the interview process by stacking the segments. Schedule the candidate to meet with required stakeholders/touchpoints in one nonstop cycle. During those dialogues, show the candidate you value them and that the company offers value. Dedicate true time at the end for Q&A’s. Probe deeper; listen intently to points the candidate raises. Then move decisively and quickly — if you don’t, your competition will.      

How have candidate/employee preferences evolved over the past 12–18 months? 

Over this time period, something dramatic has occurred. Candidates/employees have come into power. Consequently, employers must get those who work for them excited and then keep them engaged. 

To land candidates, the pace of recruiting must be exponentially faster than before. In case there’s even a minor lag, check in daily with those on the short list. Where else are they interviewing? Have they gotten offers? Who else is reaching out to them? Remember: if your preferences have changed, the same has occurred at other companies. And the competitive sphere has expanded. In today’s world, it can be global. Think out of the box and far and wide as to what candidates want. Then act swiftly.   

What common themes do you see at companies where candidates are most happy to work? 

The top companies make employees feel that they matter. How? By treating people like people, not the resume you hired. Employees provide value — let them know that. Ask them for input. “What are you excited about? What recommendation do you have for us?” 

People who feel they are actively participating and contributing to change are involved. They have a voice and stake in their role, team, and company. Learn more about this issue from the perspective of both employees and employers here. 

In this competitive environment, how do you set expectations with employees and ensure they are meeting them? 

The essence of performance reviews has changed. In today’s world, it no longer should reflect a teacher-student mentality. This exercise is not a report card anymore. Adjust accordingly.  

Open it up and change the focus to what the company can do to help the employee develop. Ask: How do you like your role? What do you want to grow into? What more would you want to do? Where do you see your role in one year from now, in three and five? How can we help you? What can we take off your plate? Is there a way to shift a responsibility or perhaps outsource it? How can we evolve your role to make it what you want? 

This is the gist of the process. As a result, job descriptions are fluid; the imperatives still are integral but some movement is too. Regard the job description as, more or less, a wish list and set expectations for the employee to build on this too.  

Retention tip

Supplement the performance review with spot meetings to take temperature checks. Creative Circle likens this activity to a mock exit interview or an “anti-resignation meeting.” Why take this step? All employees today — not only active job-seekers— are on the market. Companies interested in recruiting staff are reaching out to employees on payrolls everywhere, your company included. With this in mind, ensure your employees are satisfied with their role and their prospects. One idea is to ask employees to keep a diary for two or three days of their tasks and time spent on each. This exercise provides a template for discussion. It also serves as a springboard for the employees to draft their future job description and context for you to help them move toward it.

Aside from compensation, how can employers nurture a culture where staff feel happy and fulfilled?  

Employees today want a true work-life balance, and that’s both valid and important. They also desire purpose. Ideally, let them formulate it themselves. Give them an opportunity to craft their own personal mission statement. Then talk about it. You’re leaving it up to the employee to decide what and how to do this. You’re not saying: “Give me 60 words about it.” You’re asking them to think about why they are working. 

It could be anything, such as just showing up, trying to buy a home, saving for a car or overseas trip, or just wanting to get away from their surroundings. Whatever it is, requesting that they ponder it shows you are valuing them as a team member who’s expected to perform. Plus, it shows that you’re interested AND invested in them as a person.  

Is it viable for employers to insist on in-person work for desk jobs now?     

It’s going to be tough to insist on total in-person work. Employers: be realistic about what this means for your talent pool. Consider building in some flexibility for hybrid arrangements and other features to attract and retain employees. There needs to be ongoing communication across the company with considered thought given to this topic and the decisions surrounding it. 

The simple truth is that today work differs from the way it’s always been. In this New York Times article, a company calls the “Zoomisphere” its “center of gravity.” The article raises serious implications about the present and potential future of work life in the office.   

Are there industries or jobs where its particularly challenging to maintain a full workforce? 

No one industry or group stands out as an exception. Worker shortages are pervasive — they are occurring at businesses of all kinds, sizes and locations. This pattern cuts across North America and then some; it’s global in nature. 

If your company hasn’t experienced this situation yet, don’t get too comfortable. Your time may come. In our experience, a talent hunt is underway everywhere. And, as noted, businesses in need are potentially going after your employees. All said, whether employers are in hiring mode or not, they are participating in this dynamic.    

Tip for being a great place to work 

Take your lead from The Beatles: Come Together. Develop a continuous conversation loop across key functions, such as human resources, finance, and senior leadership. Discuss prevailing market and employment imperatives and set reasonable expectations. Then formulate policies, as needed, around budgets, salaries, interview processes, and skill gaps. Ensure the flow of information is two-way to take into account pain points, priorities, opportunities, and changes. Connect and revisit this agenda often to stay on point, in the now and the know. All hands on deck and in sync is the recipe for success in these difficult conditions.   

What are some creative ways employers are attempting to overcome workforce shortages? 

Employers are trying all means to be fully staffed. They’re covering all the bases to secure workers. They’re reaching out to recruiters and staffing agencies and providing signing bonuses and other extras to entice talent to come onboard. These include nontraditional work arrangements, such as hybrid schedules, freelance, part-time, and flex time. It also encompasses stipends for home offices, child care, meals, and commuter benefits. 

Another aspect of this issue relates to the profile of employees that businesses are seeking. Previously, a potential candidate needed to check all the boxes for a job, come from the same industry, and have directly applicable experience. That’s changed. Employers have broadened their horizons. They realize that a top performer may come from a different background but have skills that transfer well; in the process, that candidate may offer additional perspective. That’s truly being creative.  

If you could give one piece of advice to an employer having trouble finding workers, what would that be? 

Ask for and listen to feedback. If job candidates are dropping out during the interview process, if they’re turning down your offer or if employees are leaving a role, find out why. Have the chat about what was missing, what you could change. Take in all of this information and act on it. If it’s a salary matter, review wages and scales. If candidates are pulling out of the interview process, speed it up. 

 It could be any number of factors. But when you are hearing the same thing from different people, connect the dots and do something constructive about it. The world has changed. To succeed, employers need to acknowledge this trend and strive to get ahead of it.    

Count on Creative Circle for help. We have thousands of fully vetted digital, marketing, and creative candidates available for work in freelance, full-time, and even freelance-to-full-time positions. Contact us to discuss a solution for your business! 

About the author. 
You name it, she covers it. That’s the can-do attitude Sherry M. Adler brings to the craft of writing. A polished marketing and communications professional, she has a passion for learning and the world at large. She uses it plus the power of words to inform and energize stakeholders of all kinds. And to show how all of this can make a difference, she calls her business WriteResults NY, LLC.