Author: Kristina Proffitt

Categories
Learning & Development

5 tips for finding a career coach to help employees succeed

The number of coaches has soared in recent years. It feels like everyone has either become a coach, is training to be a coach, or has had coaching recently. But that hasn’t made the task of finding a career coach for your employees any easier.

In fact, with so many options it may be harder than ever. What should you look for, and what difference could it really make to your business? Let’s take a look at some tips for finding a career coach for your organization:

Why finding a career coach for your employees is important

Coaching’s biggest benefit is its ability to improve someone’s career growth. It makes them better at problem solving and communication, so they can level up faster and so can your business.

A coach is someone objective to a situation—and perhaps your business—that employees can talk through their issues with. This can often help de-escalate situations or simply help them let off steam. That way they don’t take it out on their colleagues.

One of the things coaches can help employees with is their communication. In turn, this can enhance your internal communications and improve conflict resolution. So projects get completed faster and with less stress for everyone.

Speaking of stress, finding a career coach for employees can also support them through periods of transition, like mergers or layoffs. These often result in restructurings or new/changed responsibilities. Employees who get left behind when their colleagues were let go can also suffer from a form of survivor’s guilt. Finding a career coach for employees can support them through the transition so that their mental health and productivity take less of a hit.

Coaching sessions also act as a break to an employee’s day. This can help them to go back to problems with a clear head, even if their current issue isn’t what they talk to their coach about. So then they can see solutions to a challenge they hadn’t noticed before because they were just too close to it.

With all of this in mind, it’s no surprise that coaching has a 221% ROI. That’s an impressive impact for what may only amount to an hour out of an employee’s day each month.

Companies with a strong coaching culture also report higher revenue growth than those in their industry peer group.

Tips for finding a career coach

Now that we’ve explored the benefits of finding a career coach for your employees, let’s see how to find one and what you should keep in mind on your search:

Ask for recommendations

Recommendations are one of the fastest ways of finding a career coach, and it’s how 46% of people find them. Social proof is a powerful thing that can support your decision making and reassure you that you’ve chosen the right person.

You could even ask your employees via a survey or in your employee groups. They may not know someone directly, but employee posts on social media sites get considerably more reach than company posts. So even if they can’t suggest someone, they’ve got a better chance of finding someone.

Need help improving your employee surveys or groups so that it’s easier to collect and organize information? Check out Workrowd.

Look on LinkedIn 

Even if you get a referral from someone you trust, it’s worth looking a career coach up on LinkedIn, or their own website, to see what you can find. They may be the perfect match for you, but likewise they may not be based on their prior experience.

Also, if you don’t have anyone to ask for recommendations, LinkedIn research is a great place to start. You can search the site using your industry and coaching-related keywords, and see what it suggests.

LinkedIn groups (or even Facebook ones!) related to your industry are another place to look or ask for recommendations on finding a career coach for employees.

Many people who have a history in an industry, or work in its periphery (like coaches) will often be members of industry groups to try to find new clients.

Check their credentials

Did you know the coaching industry is unregulated? That means anyone can call themselves a coach without any formal qualifications. This could open you up to poor advice at best and potentially dangerous and/or illegal consequences at worst.

Qualified coaches have spent hundreds of hours helping people in all sorts of situations within their field. Some may specialize in certain situations or areas, like senior leadership or career transitions.

A qualified career coach knows how to handle situations sensitively. They center the conversation on the employee’s needs and don’t judge them or make it about themselves. These are important skills that must be learned and cultivated but which often don’t come naturally.

So, when you’re working on finding a career coach for your employees, check their credentials. If you can’t find any, consider looking elsewhere.

Consider their specialties 

If you need a coach who understands the nuances of a particular industry, specializes in neurodivergence, or can teach your employees particular skills, you need to keep in mind someone’s specialties when finding a career coach for employees.

These will often be listed on their LinkedIn and may also feature on their website.

From my experience, coaches’ LinkedIn profiles are often more up-to-date than their websites, but I’d still recommend checking both. LinkedIn gets prioritized because of time constraints and LinkedIn’s increased exposure. Checking both will give you the most well-rounded picture of what someone could be like to work with.

Don’t forget the ROI

If a coach is cheap, is that because they’re not as experienced solving problems? Do they have fewer qualifications? Is it because they don’t understand your industry?

Spending less money doesn’t always mean cost savings. Sometimes it can end up costing you more because they were the wrong coach for you. Take the time to make a decision so that you’re not tied into a contract with someone who hinders, rather than helps, your employees.

With such a high potential ROI, you want to ensure you make the right decision when finding a career coach for employees.

Conclusion 

Finding a career coach for your employees can not only boost their careers, but your business productivity and profits, too.

There are no downsides to upskilling and reskilling your employees, especially not in the current climate. So long as you find someone who’s an expert in the field you need, you’re all set to support your employees’ current and future careers.

Want to make sure your employees not only know about career coaching opportunities, but all the other great programming you offer? Workrowd has the tools you need.

With an all-in-one command center for your employee groups, programs, events, and resources, plus automated analytics, you can build a world-class employee experience without the stress. Book a free discussion call with us to learn how we can empower you to reduce admin work and boost engagement across your organization.

5 tips for finding a career coach to help employees succeed
Why you need an ERG mission statement—and what to include
How to write a company mission statement that drives results
Categories
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

Why you need an ERG mission statement—and what to include

Setting your ERGs up to succeed is setting your business up to succeed. And part of that is ensuring that each one has an ERG mission statement.

Two-thirds of ERGS have two leads who spend up to 3 hours per week managing their group.

It’s therefore no surprise that ERG leaders are increasingly getting compensation for their work. In 2022, 42% were compensated, up from 6% just two years earlier. On average, the compensation is just over $2,000 per year.

ERGs are so effective that 90% of Fortune 500 companies have them according to MicKinsey, and 100% of the DiversityInc Top 50 have them.

To get the most out of them, you need an ERG mission statement. This keeps everyone, from employees who are part of the group to your senior executives, onboard with them. They explain what the group adds to the business and ensures that no one thinks it’s ‘just’ a diversity initiative.

An ERG mission statement also helps employees decide if a particular group is right for them, as they know what goal(s) they’re working toward.

Why you need an ERG mission statement

To keep everyone focused

When you have an ERG mission statement, it helps keep everyone rowing in the same direction.

To attract new members

A clear ERG mission statement shows new hires, and even longer-term employees who have been skeptical in the past, what your employee resource groups are all about.

It gives them a clear signal whether a group is a fit for them and how they might be able to contribute.

To show the business benefits

When everyone in an ERG is working toward the same thing, it’s a lot easier to measure the business benefits because it’s clear what the goal(s) of the group are.

To attract the right executive sponsor

Your executive sponsor can help with everything from recruitment to budget to group participation. How invested they are can depend on what the group is trying to achieve. Outlining it clearly in an ERG mission statement ensures your executive sponsor stays engaged and on track.

How to create your ERG mission statement

When it comes to designing your ERG mission statement, it’s important to include your group members (or the people who will become members).

Have an open, respectful discussion where everyone can speak about what they want from the group and think it could achieve. Otherwise, the people directly involved in the group won’t be as invested in its goals.

Jot down core values that (could) drive your group without filtering them. This ensures everyone feels heard and you’re not blocking the best ideas from coming through.

Filtering ideas when you’re brainstorming can lead to blockages. Ideas are like a tap—the longer it’s turned on the more easily they come through.

Values could include advocating for each other, knowledge sharing, mentorship opportunities, etc.

Refine your values into 3-5 that you can easily articulate for your ERG mission statement. Then, consider potential (or current, for an existing group) strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Map out your stakeholders and potential activities, too.

Once you have that, consider what you could achieve that’s in keeping with those values and the business’s goals. How can you line the two together?

For example, a car company could have a disability ERG that supports the business to design vehicles that are more accessible for disabled drivers.

Next steps in creating your ERG mission statement

As for articulating your goal, think about how you’d tell someone new to the company about your ERG. It shouldn’t require further explanation or elaboration. If it does, you need to get more specific in your ERG mission statement.

When you write your goal(s) down, think of it/them as stretch goals: ambitious but achievable. Keep things too small and there’s no motivation there; aim too high and people will lose momentum because they know it can’t be done.

Next, consider breaking up your goals into objectives. For instance, if you want to connect more women in the workplace, how could you do that? Monthly meetups in the office? Virtual networking? LinkedIn training to help them connect with people outside of the office?

Other things to consider for your ERG mission statement

While it helps to sum up your ERG mission statement in a sentence, you also need to consider things like:

Who can join?

While you don’t want to be discriminatory, obviously each group has to be aimed at a certain type of person—that’s the point.

Who runs them? For how long? How do you choose them?

Your group’s success depends on who’s in charge, which means you need a clear process for how leaders are elected and how long they lead.

Do they stay in position until they choose to leave, or do members get to vote on who’s in charge?

While you don’t want to cause conflicts within your organization, getting members to vote on group leaders can mean that they’re more involved and understand what the leader wants to achieve, how they plan to lead the group and shape the business.

While this doesn’t need to be part of your ERG mission statement, deciding it is key to structuring your group.

What compensation do you offer group leaders?

Do you offer leaders compensation for the time and energy commitment of running a group?

Any group lives or dies by the people running it, which means you need the right people in charge. You also need to consider how it will affect their existing responsibilities.

As discussed above, almost half of employers now pay group leaders for running groups. While this isn’t a huge amount, in the current climate, a little goes a long way.

Not to mention it shows that you value ERGs and how they contribute to your business.

It gives your groups, and their leaders, a level of importance that a free group doesn’t have. This can also mean that your leaders take it more seriously, too, as it’s something that they’re being compensated to do.

How often will you update your ERG mission statement?

If a group achieves its ERG mission statement, then what?

Or if the leader changes and wants to take things in a different direction, how will you decide on that?

How can the group help the business in the short- and long-term?

Ultimately, your ERGs will get more investment if senior leaders in your business can see them driving business impact. That starts with your ERG mission statement and group leaders, and trickles down to your group members and how they support the business. The clearer you are about these goals, the easier it is to get everyone focused.

Conclusion 

Your ERG mission statement shows everyone within your business that your ERG is here to stay. It’s a serious business investment that matters to your organization and your employees.

If you want a tool that can help you manage your employee groups, check out Workrowd. You can put everything your employees need to know in one handy place, making your groups an even better opportunity and resource.

Plus, with one-click signups, automated event reminders and surveys, and even analytics, you’ll be fully equipped to make the most of your ERGs and other employee programs. Get in touch today to learn more and schedule your free demo.

5 tips for finding a career coach to help employees succeed
Why you need an ERG mission statement—and what to include
How to write a company mission statement that drives results
Categories
Company Culture

How to write a company mission statement that drives results

If you’re looking for tips on how to write a company mission statement that actually makes a difference for your organization, you’ve come to the right place.

A company mission statement informs how you run your business. It sets you apart from your competitors and helps customers choose you over them. It keeps you and your employees focused so that you can more easily decide what you’re going to work on next. Or, if you should change course.

Over 90% of businesses with well-defined mission statements surpass industry averages in growth and profits. This shows the impact this North Star can have. So, let’s explore how to write a company mission statement that drives results.

What is a company mission statement?

A company mission statement is a series of points, a sentence, or a paragraph that explains what drives your company and why it exists.

It’s a way to ground everything you do, and for customers to hold you accountable. So there’s a lot to consider when it comes to how to write a company mission statement.

Why do company mission statements matter?

Business growth

When thinking about how to write a company mission statement, remember that it plays a key role in your ability to grow as a business.

As mentioned in the introduction, over 90% of companies with well-defined mission statements achieve growth and profits above industry averages.

This is likely because, when discussing new projects, teams can use the mission statement as a compass. Does the new idea/project keep you heading in the direction of business objectives? Or is it a distraction that will take you off course?

If it’s a distraction, they can pause for now or discard the effort for good. 

Hiring 

When hiring, your company mission statement will affect the types of people who want to work with you.

For instance, a company that puts the environment at its core will be very different from a company that lobbies for the fossil fuel industry.

Including your mission statement in your job postings can help attract and repel the right people. That way, you can improve your quality of hire. How you want your business to come across is key when approaching how to write a company mission statement.

Employee motivation

63% of employees feel motivated when companies have strong mission statements. Compare that to half for companies that don’t have them.

And it makes sense. When we know why we’re doing something, and we’re on board with that why, it’s a lot more motivating. When we feel like we’re doing something for the sake of it, things can get boring, repetitive, and frustrating fast.

It’s important to consider what drives your employees to help frame how to write a company mission statement.

Employee retention

Mission statements also have an impact on retention. Among Millennials, retention increases by 5.3x when they feel connected to the company mission.

However, this is less significant for non-millennials, demonstrating a generational difference.

That being said, Millennials are still the largest group in the workforce. They’re also quickly becoming the next generation of leaders and decision makers. So appealing to them when it comes to how to write a company mission statement is essential.

Employee engagement

Unfortunately, only 28% of employees feel connected to their company’s purpose. This is despite the fact that 84% of Millennials prioritize it.

So, by getting them on board with your mission, you can increase engagement and motivation. And as ripple effects, productivity and profits, too.

Target audience 

Your company mission statement works as a magnet to the right types of customers.

For example, clothing brand Patagonia’s mission focuses around the environment. This encompasses everything from the fabrics it uses to repairing garments someone bought in the 1990s (or replacing them for free!). It creates investment pieces that last users for decades.

A fast fashion brand, on the other hand, focuses on cheap fabric, cheap labor, and cheap costs for its customers.

Rather than sustainability and longevity, their focus is on following fashion trends. This means clothes may not last as long, but their target audience is unlikely to mind if they’re most cost or trend-focused.

When it comes to how to write a company mission statement, you need to keep your target customer in mind as well.

What to consider around how to write a company mission statement

Analysis of mission statements from Fortune 500 companies found that:

  • 51% mention customers
  • 25% include service/services
  • 43.8% mention products and services
  • 19.2% emphasize global presence

That’s not to say you have to include any of these in yours. But it’s always worth knowing what your competitors focus on as your mission statement can be a differentiator (such as in the Patagonia example above).

It just goes to show that there’s a wide range of elements to take into account when it comes to how to write a company mission statement.

How to write a company mission statement 

Always do your competitor research first. This will help you find what differentiates you.

Then, write down a list of core values or interests. Get as many as you can, then cross out the ones that overlap heavily with your competitors.

The ones you’re left with show what differentiates you and can help you to stand out. You can then stick to articulating it as 3-5 points, or turn them into a complete sentence.

Keeping it short makes it more memorable. It doesn’t have to be a catchy slogan, but if it is, all the better.

If it isn’t, you can use it to inform your marketing slogan(s).

For example, an accounting software that wants to make tax returns simpler can use words like simple or easy in their mission statement and marketing copy. They can then view all future campaigns through the lens of whether it communicates the tool’s ease of use.

When thinking about how to write a company mission statement, remember that it should help you stand out.

Conclusion 

Your company mission statement makes it clear to customers, employees, and shareholders what drives your business. It helps you attract the right types of customers and employees and repel those who are the wrong fit. This can improve everything from your employee experience to your customer satisfaction. 

Now that you know how to write a company mission statement, it’s time to put in the work. Want to organize your employee initiatives to get everyone behind your mission?

Workrowd can help. You can store all your employee initiatives in one, easy-to-follow place. Everyone can personalize their own dashboards to find what they need regardless of how long they’ve worked at your organization or what they do. This way, it’s easier to get everyone rallied behind your mission statement. Get in touch today to book your free demo.

5 tips for finding a career coach to help employees succeed
Why you need an ERG mission statement—and what to include
How to write a company mission statement that drives results
Categories
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

Microaggressions in the workplace: examples and what to do

62% of Black employees have experienced microaggressions because of their race, while 64% of women have experienced them because of their gender. 68% of US workers feel microaggressions in the workplace are a serious problem, and I agree.

In this post, we’ll take a look at what microaggressions in the workplace are, explore some examples, and consider what businesses can—and should—do to mitigate them.

What are microaggressions in the workplace?

Microaggressions in the workplace are subtle forms of discrimination against a marginalized group. This could involve an incident, statement, or action against them because of their gender, race, religion, disability, etc. These slights can be direct or indirect, intentional or unintentional.

As the name implies, they are often seemingly small things that can fly under the radar, but ultimately still negatively affect another person.

As they’re often more subtle, they’re harder to notice—let alone address. Over time, however, they can negatively impact your company culture and employee experience, leading to things like stress and burnout. So then your team can’t perform to its fullest and your business suffers as a result.

Examples of microaggressions in the workplace (and what to do)

Now that we know what microaggressions in the workplace are, let’s explore some common examples, then we’ll go into what you can do.

Micromanaging some employees and not others

Micromanaging is never a good idea, but if you do it with some employees and not others, your comments can become microaggressions in the workplace.

For instance, trying to control a female employee’s to-do list but leaving a male employee to manage his own tasks.

Talking over colleagues

28% of people have been spoken over at work. To be honest, I think this number might be higher, we just don’t always recognize it. Many of us interrupt people when we’re excited. Some of us are also so used to being interrupted we don’t even register that it’s happening—especially if we’re prone to doing it ourselves.

But that doesn’t make it acceptable.

According to the Women Interrupted app, women are interrupted 1.43 times a minute in the US. In the UK, it’s 1.67 times a minute.

Being talked over is so common that someone knitted a color-coded scarf, changing the color she was knitting with every time the gender of a speaker changed in a meeting. There was very little of the color that represented women.

These constant interjections can be a form of microaggressions in the workplace.

Telling someone to “smile more”

Most females have been on the receiving end of “just smile” or “smile more” at some point. 

We’ve all heard, “Smile, it’s not the end of the world” from a random stranger or colleague before, too. How is that supposed to cheer someone up?

You have no idea what’s going on in someone’s life, or why they’re not smiling. No one ever says that to a man, either.

If the same comment is only directed towards people from a certain demographic, it may be a version of microaggressions in the workplace.

Nicknames 

Always, always call someone by the name they prefer, not the name you want to call them. That’s it. It’s that simple.

It’s their name; their identity. They have the right to choose it, not you.

By choosing another name for them, whether well-intentioned or not, you may be causing them pain or stress. It’s a pretty targeted type of microaggressions in the workplace.

Mispronouncing names

Likewise, if you mispronounce someone’s name multiple times after they correct you it’s a sign of disrespect.

Problematic language use

Our language usage says a lot about how we think and feel. It’s a reflection of who we are on a subconscious level.

Making comments then dismissing them as “banter” or using old-fashioned terms that are now offensive can be signs of problematic language usage. As well as signs of microaggressions in the workplace.

Ableism 

Despite being asthmatic, I once had to climb four flights of steep stairs in a Victorian building every day to get to the office. Exercise and cold are two huge triggers for me, and old buildings get cold. Especially in the stairwells, which often don’t have heat.

There was an elevator, but it didn’t work. And there was no rush to fix it. Nor was I able to work from home. Or even from a café nearby.

This is an example of ableism. Ableism can be overt, or it can fall into the category of microaggressions in the workplace. Either way, it put me in a preventable situation that triggered my asthma on a daily basis.

There are lots of other examples, such as not allowing neurodiverse employees to wear headphones to drown out noise, not providing a suitable chair for someone with back issues, or not giving enough space for wheelchair users to move around.

What can employers do?

The two most important things you can do are to encourage communication and education.

Encourage employees to talk to people outside of their team or demographic to get to know others as more than just someone competing for a pay check in the same company, but another human being just trying to pay their bills, too.

Education is also important. It shouldn’t be the responsibility of underrepresented talent to educate their colleagues on what life is like. If they want to, that’s fine. But not everyone does and you shouldn’t expect them to.

Instead, employers should host training sessions that teach people what it’s like and what to look for.

When they know how colleagues feel when they’re on the receiving end of microaggressions in the workplace, and what sort of behavior can be construed as offensive (even if they didn’t think it was) it can work as a wake-up call.

It’s not about shaming anyone or making them feel bad. What was acceptable in the 90s isn’t always now; the world has come a long way. (Anyone else remember the fat shaming of the 2000s?)

It’s about considering how other people feel with our language use and choice of actions, and thinking about how we’d feel if we were in their shoes.

Just because it was acceptable in the past, it doesn’t mean we should still be saying or doing it now. Or not call other people out on it.

Leaders set the precedent

Your leaders set an example. Everything from the language they use to the political figures and/or parties they support sets a precedent about what’s acceptable and what isn’t.

Employees need to feel able to call others out on their microaggressions in the workplace or problematic language. The more comfortable they feel doing this, the more their colleagues can learn and the more welcoming your organization will be to everyone.

If employees feel like they’re going to get in trouble for calling someone out, they’re less likely to do it and your business will attract fewer candidates from underrepresented backgrounds, resulting in less innovation.

Conclusion 

Microaggressions in the workplace may be an inevitable part of life, but we can change that. It requires conscious effort and regular training to ensure we make the world a better place for everyone.

At some point, most of us will be on the receiving end of microaggressions in the workplace, or outside of it. The sooner we can stamp them out, the more welcome everyone will feel at work—and the more work they’ll get done.

How to support underrepresented talent in the workplace

Supporting team members from underrepresented backgrounds isn’t just about preventing microaggressions in the workplace; it’s also about offering opportunities. With a central hub for employee events, programs, and groups, you can encourage everything from mentoring to book recommendations.

Need help getting more from your employee initiatives? Book yourself a free Workrowd demo today.

5 tips for finding a career coach to help employees succeed
Why you need an ERG mission statement—and what to include
How to write a company mission statement that drives results
Categories
Employee Experience

7 employee experience trends for 2026 you should know about

2025 has been a year of transition, and it’s likely that will continue into the new year. So let’s explore some employee experience trends for 2026 that should be on your radar.

Upskill and reskill your workforce

By 2030, over 12 million US workers may need to switch jobs because of AI and automation. The biggest losses will come in office support and admin roles.

Just because an employee’s current role becomes unnecessary, that doesn’t mean their internal knowledge or soft skills couldn’t still be useful to your organization, though.

Upskilling and reskilling employees protects their future careers, as well as ensuring you don’t lose the benefits that they bring to your organization. Preparing your team to remain competitive as the world of work evolves will be one of the key employee experience trends for 2026.

Train employees on AI

One of the biggest areas where employees need to upskill is in AI. Two-thirds have experienced customer complaints related to AI frustrations.

While businesses find it faster and cheaper to adopt AI chatbots for things like customer service, it isn’t always successful.

Sometimes, problems can still be solved faster by a person. And that fast resolution can get you greater customer satisfaction—and better reviews—over time.

So it’s not really surprising that 52% of employees feel that AI tools hurt the customer experience, rather than improve it. Too often, they lead to customers going around in circles, repeating themselves multiple times.

If you insist on employees using AI, you need to train them to do it in the right way. Too many companies assume employees can hit the ground running with it. In reality, 72% have felt pressured to use it this year, but they didn’t receive sufficient training. So how can they realistically experience any time savings or improvements in productivity?

Knowing how to spot deep fakes or write an AI prompt aren’t things that come naturally. We need to actively study how to do it. It’s on companies to educate employees on these things so that they can identify when an AI is making things up, or when it’s factually correct.

Otherwise, it could land you in legal hot water. This is especially true in some places, like the EU or California, which are bringing in AI regulations to ensure fairness. Other states are following, which means if you’re not already looking into this, you could fall behind.

Ensuring your team knows when and how to use AI is among the most important employee experience trends for 2026.

Look at healthcare packages

Employer healthcare spending increased by 7% in 2025. Through 2026, costs could rise a further 6-8% each year—higher than wage growth.

However, 35% of employees would swap employers for better healthcare benefits, even at the same pay.

So, if you’re not regularly checking your healthcare insurance provider to ensure they stay competitive (and therefore you do, too), you risk losing your high performers for the sake of a basic human right.

Don’t let one of the employee experience trends for 2026 that’s most crucial to your team’s wellbeing catch you off-guard.

Don’t force everyone back to the office (unless you want to lose people)

With office occupancy averaging just 53% in major US cities in 2025, it shows that RTO mandates just aren’t working.

Instead, they cause frustrated employees to leave. In fact, a quarter of employees who left roles in 2025 cited return-to-office mandates as a reason.

Worse, women are leaving companies at a higher rate than in recent years. Many say this is because businesses don’t offer flexibility or support.

Rigid office mandates mean that you miss out on people who come with different problem-solving abilities. Whether that’s because they have five kids or five chronic illnesses. Neither of those things mean they don’t know about your industry or can’t succeed in a role.

If you really want employees to come back, you have to show that you listen and support them. Otherwise, you’ll find that one of the employee experience trends for 2026 is that some would rather be unemployed than unsupported.

Consider where you stand politically

Politics is more divisive than ever, which is why many brands steer clear. And the waters are murky, with 64% of consumers feeling companies should take a public stand on social issues, but 58% boycotting brands for doing something they disagreed with.

44% of employees also felt uncomfortable about their employer taking a political stand. However, 35% said it improved how engaged they were. Plus, 75% of Gen Z employees would leave a company that failed to act on social or climate justice issues.

Needless to say, companies getting political can be a double-edged sword. There’s no right or wrong answer. But you need to know how to respond and adapt to changing political environments. Finding your footing and your voice during unstable times is among the trickiest employee experience trends for 2026.

If you’re doing layoffs, do it right

Layoffs in 2025 hit their highest level since the pandemic. At the same time, managers expect higher workloads heading into 2026 because of freezes or a reduction in staff. Layoffs can be an inevitable part of running a business, but the fear that employees experience during these challenging times shouldn’t be.

I’ve worked for companies where layoffs happened roughly once per quarter—once every six months if you were lucky. This created an atmosphere of fear. It strangled productivity. And no one wanted to be there.

If you must do layoffs, make sure the process is fair and efficient. Don’t drag out the inevitable or feed everyone false platitudes. They’ll see right through it. And those who stay will be more likely to leave because you’re not being honest with them.

If layoffs continue to be one of the employee experience trends for 2026, then making them more human should be, too.

Support your managers

Whether it’s through mentoring, coaching, or other forms of training, if hiring is freezing, you need to support your managers through these changes.

They need to be prepared to not just handle their own additional workload, but their employees’ additional workloads, too. This is one of the employee experience trends for 2026 that will be felt across your organization.

Conclusion 

2025 has been rough for everyone, and some trends look certain to continue into 2026. Businesses need to show employees that they support them now, so that they can retain employee loyalty into the future. Because sure, you can rehire, but at what cost—to your bottom line and your culture?

If you want to support your employees by getting out ahead of these employee experience trends for 2026, why not use a tool that can improve your employee experience? Using Workrowd, you can send employee feedback surveys, manage employee programs and events, and keep all your important employee information in one place. Get in touch today to find out more and book your demo.

5 tips for finding a career coach to help employees succeed
Why you need an ERG mission statement—and what to include
How to write a company mission statement that drives results
Categories
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

7 tips for celebrating holidays in the workplace inclusively

December is often the time for celebrating holidays in the workplace. Regardless of whether employees celebrate holidays themselves at this time, it’s common for organizations to hold some sort of event.

But just because it’s a popular time for parties, that doesn’t mean it can’t cause unnecessary stress for employees, for various reasons.

And just because December is when many organizations take a break, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other times in the year when employees might benefit from time off. 

So let’s explore some ideas for celebrating holidays in the workplace inclusively.

Respect every culture

When you’re in your own bubble, it can be easy to forget that not everyone celebrates the same holidays.

But with a fifth of adults feeling that they experience stress because the holiday season doesn’t reflect their culture, religion, or traditions, businesses need to consider how they can make the holiday season more welcoming.

This could be as simple as including other holidays throughout the year, in the name of balance.

You don’t always have to use the holidays to justify doing something, either. For instance, if you want to give everyone the last week of the year off, that doesn’t have to be because of Christmas. It could simply be because business slows down a bit then. So why bother having everyone in the office, or signed in to Slack?

Mind the stress 

Holiday stress is all-too real. So real that work-related holiday stress continues even if businesses shut down for the holidays. In fact, 41% of employees still check their work emails and 23% still send work-related emails.

Sadly, a third also take a second job during this time, so they can’t even enjoy the break.

That’s not surprising when you realize that 89% of adults worry about money, missing loved ones, and anticipating family conflicts over the holidays, though. This makes it really hard to enjoy celebrating holidays in the workplace, or outside of it.

Simple things like paying employees fairly, providing them with upskilling opportunities, and connecting them with colleagues in ERGs can help to mitigate some of this stress.

Of course, there’s no workplace solution to family conflicts. But having understanding colleagues can go a long way towards making someone feel less stressed over the holidays.

Remember: they’re not just fun and games

Holidays aren’t fun for everyone. Yet those of us who feel low during the holidays—especially Christmas—are made out to be modern-day Scrooges.

But sometimes, the holidays remind us of a lost loved one, family conflicts, or other challenging situations. Which makes it really hard for celebrating holidays in the workplace to be all about fun and games.

Also, emotions are complex. We can continue to grieve and honor who/what we’ve lost, while also enjoying the holidays. But to enjoy them, we have to not bury those important emotions.

There’s no simple solution to this. It’s just about awareness.

Don’t force everyone to celebrate

Ugly Christmas sweaters are a divisive part of celebrating holidays in the workplace. Some people love them, others think they’re a waste of money. 

Many businesses will have an ugly Christmas sweater day to raise money for charity. But not everyone feels comfortable in an unflattering, itchy, brightly colored sweater with LED lights on Rudolph’s nose.

Accept that some people will want to take part, but remember that for them to perform their best at work, they need to be comfortable. And what we wear can play a big role in that.

Consider extra time off

No one wants to be stressed out about work during the holidays. Rather than giving everyone the same time off over Christmas, why not consider giving them an extra week that they can use for a holiday of their choice?

That way, every gets the same break, your services remain up and running for the whole year, and everyone gets to celebrate holidays in the workplace, and crucially, outside of it, in whatever way they like.

Use your employee groups

If you have ERGs that recognize different cultures or religions, the holiday season is the perfect time to get them involved. Have them host celebrations for members, or even talk to other employees about what the holiday season means to them.

It’s only when we share our stories that people can truly understand them. Sharing holiday traditions can be a simple way to do just that. It’s also a core part of celebrating holidays in the workplace inclusively.

Need help managing your ERGs? The bigger and more influential groups get, the harder they can be to manage. That’s where Workrowd comes in. Keep everything you need for your employee initiatives in one place. Let employees know about holiday events or groups they could join. Get in touch today to book your free demo.

Ask the right questions

Since December is the time when everyone is switching off for the year and looking back, it could be the perfect time to send an employee feedback survey. Find out what has helped and hindered your team at work in the last 12 months. That way you can learn and improve for next year.

Sometimes, what seems inconsequential to one person will be the thing that mattered most to another. So asking the right questions will give you a strong advantage in the new year.

Workrowd can help by sending your feedback surveys automatically and analyzing the results. That gives you more time to make real changes in the workplace that improve your employee experience. And more time for celebrating holidays in the workplace all year round!

Conclusion 

The holiday season can be fun, but it can also be challenging for many. A balance between enjoyment and compassion is therefore key. It’s also important to remember that not everyone celebrates the same holidays, and that diversity is part of what will bring strength to your organization—strength of creativity, innovation, and company culture.

If you’d like help supporting your diverse team to celebrate holidays in the workplace with more organized employee initiatives, get in touch today to find out how Workrowd could help.

5 tips for finding a career coach to help employees succeed
Why you need an ERG mission statement—and what to include
How to write a company mission statement that drives results
Categories
Company Culture

Fun activities for employees this holiday season

It’s that time of year when people are getting together to celebrate the holidays. But what fun activities for employees could you organize to bring some holiday cheer to your team?

Here are some suggestions that are low-effort and low-cost. Even if you’re organizing things last minute or on a budget, we’ve got something that will work for you.

Why should you organize fun activities for employees?

While you should never make employee activities mandatory—or make anyone feel like they’re mandatory—offering fun activities for employees shows your team you see them as more than just a number in your accounting software.

They’re humans who choose to spend their time with you, working for you, and you appreciate their presence. Planning fun activities for employees is a small way to say “thank you”.

These types of initiatives can also work as team-building activities. They create a sense of camaraderie that helps build better communication and collaboration. Which ensures that projects run more smoothly when different teams have to work together.

Getting to know each other outside of work prevents the competitiveness that can come from teams wanting different things, too. If they like each other, they’re far more likely to want to compromise than if they see the other teams within a project as the enemy.

Fun activities for employees working remotely this holiday season

Console gaming tournament

We’ve all played MarioKart at some point, right? Whether you play in-person or online, a game tournament gives your employees the opportunity to spend time with their colleagues outside of the pressure of work and hone their gaming skills.

Games are also great for building skills like communication and coordination.

Movie night

You can’t go wrong with a movie night. It’s a classic. Especially if you’re watching something nostalgic like The Mummy (1999, obviously) or The Mummy Returns, The Breakfast Club, Practical Magic, etc.

Watching nostalgic films can boost people’s moods, as can discussing them. Making a nostalgic movie night the perfect way for your employees to bond. It’s an easy and effective addition to any list of fun activities for employees.

Book club

Just like movie nights, book clubs are great ways for people to bond.

If your employees are busy, instead of forcing them to read a set book, you could ask them to bring along something they’ve enjoyed and share what they enjoyed about it. Or even what they disliked!

I’ve found this low-pressure version of a book club means people are more likely to show up. They can come feeling relaxed as it doesn’t matter if they haven’t read the book of the month. It often leads to attendees finding new books to read and enjoy, too. Perhaps even ones they never would’ve considered before.

As far as fun activities for employees go, this one offers the added brain boost of encouraging team members to read rather than scrolling online.

Trivia night

Trivia nights are a fun way to encourage collaboration between different teams and departments. Especially if the quizmaster chooses the teams rather than employees defaulting to their usual groups (which, let’s face it, everyone will!).

Gingerbread house competition

The holidays are the perfect time to build gingerbread. And eat it, obviously.

A gingerbread house competition enables your employees to show their creative (and competitive!) sides.

You could even bring your social media audience into it, asking them to vote for their favorites. It’s one of the fun activities for employees that’s a simple way to show off your company culture and build your employer brand.

Next year you could do pumpkins, too!

Stranger Things watch-along

If enough of your employees are into Stranger Things, why not organize for them to watch it virtually together? Or meet up to discuss it and share theories when they’ve watched each part?

It’s one of the last shows that everyone has seen—or at least knows about. This makes it perfect for water cooler chat. And for planning fun activities for employees around.

Fun activities for employees to do in-person this holiday season

Poetry slam

A poetry slam is a fun way for people to discover new ways to express themselves, improve their communication, and maybe even boost their public speaking confidence.

There’s a type of poetry and poetry reading for everyone. Whether you want something intense and emotional or chill and thought-provoking, there’s a way to cater fun activities for employees to it.

Bowling, pool, darts, etc.

Games like these are simple yet effective.

I always say I dislike bowling but then enjoy going once I’m there (despite almost always losing).

So long as everyone keeps it light-hearted and doesn’t take it too seriously, it’s one of the fun activities for employees that can help people get to know colleagues outside of the office. 

Desk decorations

The holidays are the perfect time to decorate desks, so why not invite employees to do just that? You could even give a prize to the desk(s) voted the best!

Or invent your own categories, so everyone gets a prize! What looks good is subjective, after all.

Prizes don’t have to be anything big. Just some treats or a small gift card to make their holidays a little sweeter.

Live performance trip

It’s impossible to please everyone when organizing an outing to see a performance. If you have an office near a venue though, you could try organizing some fun activities for employees around their events. Whether it’s a comedy show, concert, or other type of performance, it’s a great way to help team members connect around a shared experience. 

It gives those with similar tastes something to talk about other than work. That can help with cooperation, collaboration, and communication across teams. It’s also great for giving everyone a screen break!

Arcade night

Who doesn’t love a good, old-fashioned arcade? I tried playing Pacman myself once and have to say it was pretty terrible. But playing those kinds of games with other people is a fun, retro way to bond.

Plenty of places still have old-school arcades you can play on, too. And with the return of Stranger Things, who knows? They might make a big comeback. (I can dream. So that I can improve my Pacman game).

Conclusion 

Fun activities for employees don’t just have to be for the holiday season, but including them at this time of year, when it’s cold and dreary for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, brightens the mood and gives team members something to look forward to.

If organizing fun activities for employees sounds like a lot, though, we get it. Workrowd can help. With a central hub for all your events and programs, automated reminders and follow-up surveys, and even analytics, everyone can make the most of the holidays, and your full employee experience throughout the year.

Get in touch to find out more about how Workrowd could support your employee initiatives this holiday season and beyond.

5 tips for finding a career coach to help employees succeed
Why you need an ERG mission statement—and what to include
How to write a company mission statement that drives results
Categories
Employee Experience

6 recruiting trends that will make or break your strategy in 2026

The unemployment rate is trending upwards. The latest US data shows that 4.4% of people are currently out of work. While it’s very much an employers’ market right now, it won’t always be that way. Which makes it all the more important to get out ahead of the top recruiting trends for 2026.

An employers’ market isn’t all fun and games either. It can come with downsides. Having the pick of the litter is great until you hire someone who is a bad fit. Choosing the wrong candidate could cost you dearly in further hiring costs, training costs, and overall company culture in both the long- and short-term. 

So how can you ensure you find the right hires in the coming year? Let’s take a look at some of the recruiting trends for 2026 to set you up for success:

Build your employer brand with employee-generated content

We live in a world driven by personality, from pop culture to politics. Actors are often turned down for roles now because their social media following is too small, for example.

When it comes to hiring, you need to showcase your brand in the same way a celebrity chasing a new role would. If you want to get the best hires who are not just technically competent, but the right culture add and personality fit for your organization, showcasing your employer brand online can go a long way towards attracting the right applicants.

Candidates don’t always trust overly stylized, PR-heavy content, though. It can come across as too polished, forced, and disingenuous.

Instead, you need to create a place people are proud to work for. They’ll then feel happy posting about working for you, leaving reviews on sites like Glassdoor, and sharing upcoming roles.

Alongside this, it will build their personal brands—perfect for bringing in new candidate interest. Letting your thriving team speak for itself is one of the most important recruiting trends for 2026.

Showcase your culture

Everything from what employees wear in photos to what they say on review sites reflects your company culture and impacts the types of people who’ll apply for your roles.

For instance, everyone in a photo wearing a suit indicates a specific type of culture. Everyone wearing hoodies and jeans suggests a very different vibe.

Every post that goes out on your business pages and your employee ones helps people form an image of what it’s like to work for your organization. This could work in your favor or against you.

It’s harder than ever to hide a negative company culture. We’re more connected than ever and the prevalence of online reviews is unescapable.

So make sure that your employees are adequately social media trained to avoid any PR disasters. At the very least, they need to know what they can andcan’t say about work online.

Putting company culture front and center is one of the most important recruiting trends for 2026.

Source talent more effectively

With hiring taking up to 50 days for some roles, businesses need to identify innovative solutions that help them find talent faster.

Talent sourcing solutions traditionally focused on keyword matching. This means that they were prone to biases and overlooked candidates simply for not using the right language.

AI talent sourcing tools can look at the context of someone’s resume alongside things like social media profiles. That way, you have a bigger picture of what someone is really capable of. As a result, you get a more well-rounded view of what they could be like to work with in your organization. This can be helpful in assessing whether they’re likely to succeed.

When it comes to recruiting trends for 2026, being strategic about how you find and vet candidates will definitely stay high on the list.

Make onboarding seamless

Your onboarding process is fundamental to the success (or failure) of your new hires. If they don’t feel supported, there’s a high chance they’ll leave.

Likewise, if it takes too long for them to get up to speed, you incur further costs. If they’re not yet at full productivity at the end of their onboarding period, neither is your business.

The right onboarding process looks different for every organization. That said, steps such as having the right documents on hand, setting up a buddy or mentoring program, and welcoming employees into groups can go a long way towards helping them settle in.

Which makes delivering a top-notch onboarding process essential to include as part of the emerging recruiting trends for 2026.

Use employee groups as part of your onboarding

Employee groups can be a game changer in helping new hires feel supported. Connecting with people who share a similar background, or are part of the same hiring cohort, enables them to get to know people beyond their team. This can help with future project collaboration and mean projects get done with less stress/headbutting.

Workrowd can help you manage your employee initiatives so that new hires can immediately feel like part of the team. From employee groups to feedback surveys, everything is kept in one place so that they know exactly where to find what they want to know. Get in touch to find out more.

Embrace the human element

From being able to make more data-backed decisions, to engaging with candidates, the right tools give recruiters more time for the human touch when hiring. 

Candidates want to deal with human recruiters. If you’re using tools to analyze and vet candidates, you need to use the time you get back to put the human back into your hiring processes. 

Finding the balance between high-touch and high-tech is rapidly climbing the ranks of 2026’s recruiting trends.

Don’t ghost

Half of candidates have been ghosted during the hiring process. Ontario, Canada, has now made it illegal to ghost someone starting at the beginning of 2026. Hiring managers must get back to applicants within 45 days regardless of whether a decision has been made.

If you struggle to reply to everyone you interview, there’s a problem somewhere in your hiring process. This could mean you’re not vetting candidates’ suitability enough before interviews and need tools that can analyze resumes faster, or that you’re interviewing too many people for not enough roles. To stay compliant, it’s important to look at your hiring processes to see what’s working—and what isn’t.

Closing the loop with candidates rather than leaving them hanging is another important point on the list of recruiting trends for 2026.

Get feedback

Want feedback from your hiring managers on what you could do better? Why not send a survey?

Using Workrowd, you can automate your feedback surveys so that hiring managers can share how they felt about the process and where HR/recruiting teams can improve.

You could even send feedback surveys to new hires to find out what they thought of interviewing and onboarding with your business. The possibilities really are endless.

Want to find out more? Get in touch to book your free demo.

Conclusion 

Recruiting trends in 2026 will be about doing more with less while balancing the human touch alongside AI.

It will also be about finding ways to use the time savings technology gives recruiters to engage more with candidates and provide a better experience.

If you want to improve your employee onboarding, why not give your employee initiatives a boost with Workrowd? From organizing events to connecting people across borders, we can help. Get in touch to book your free demo.

5 tips for finding a career coach to help employees succeed
Why you need an ERG mission statement—and what to include
How to write a company mission statement that drives results
Categories
Employee Retention

5 reasons to promote from within to drive retention

71% of employees believe hiring from within is better for scaling a business. Among employees working in larger companies (with 250+ employees), 78% felt it was important to promote from within. 56% of those from medium businesses and 58% from small businesses were more likely to prefer internal promotions as well.

Almost two thirds of employees feel it’s better to promote from within than to hire externally. Plus, they’re twice as likely to say they preferred someone promoted internally as a manager.

Why is this?

Well, when you promote from within it has a huge impact on your company culture.

It’s a way to reward hard work and employee loyalty, all while reducing hiring and training costs. These can quickly add up to six figures when you’re recruiting for more senior roles.

I’ve worked in places where there were no opportunities for advancement, and I had two types of coworkers. Those who didn’t care about career progression and were there for the benefits, and those who didn’t stay for long. Because no one was invested in the work, things moved slowly. Ultimately, nobody was motivated to get anything done.

Taking steps to promote from within boosts retention because employees don’t have to leave to advance in their careers. It makes work more interesting and motivating for everyone because they get to see what’s possible in terms of moving up (or around) the ladder. Extra points if you show that they don’t just have to fulfill a traditional managerial role to progress. They could pursue alternate pathways like becoming a principal or taking on an advisor role instead.

Let’s take a look at why you should promote from within to boost employee retention:

Retain internal knowledge

Every business has little quirks or ways of doing things that only a handful of people understand. It’s important to have a plan in place to ensure things don’t fall apart when someone leaves. At the same time, you should take steps to try to keep them from leaving in the first place. This will protect your business and your employees.

I’ve joined companies before where the previous marketer didn’t pass over social media logins. It made it a nightmare for me to get in and so much as post on a business page, let alone access analytics.

Having somewhere new hires can find the information they need should be the bare minimum. Beyond that though, you also need to ensure that you retain as much internal knowledge as possible. If you promote from within, the information employees hold stays within your organization. You never know what important knowledge will die out when someone leaves.

Improve employee morale

Over half of employees believe if you promote from within it’s better for morale. Which makes sense. It shows them that they don’t have to keep doing the same thing day in, day out, for the rest of their lives. If someone else within the business can progress, they can, too.

However, over 20% of employees quit or consider quitting after they lose out on a promotion to a peer.

If they’re passed over for an outsider, they’re 15% more likely to quit or consider quitting. That’s compared against those passed over for an internal hire. So you need to find a balance and put safeguards in place so you don’t lose people when you promote from within.

I’ve known people who applied for internal roles and got rejected, received no feedback, but stayed for various reasons (e.g. location, finances, etc.).

Not getting the role without knowing why caused them to become disengaged and disenchanted with work, and therefore less productive.

If you don’t choose to promote from within and pass over someone on your team, it’s important they understand why. Otherwise, they may blame internal politics or simply assume that the hiring process was a popularity contest rather than a skills assessment. So why bother trying if they can’t advance?

Increase team productivity

When managers are promoted from within, they’re 10% more likely than external hires to feel that they have a highly productive team.

On top of that, employees who have internally promoted managers report lower stress levels.

Stressed-out employees can have a ripple effect within your organization. The more you can do to lessen employee stress, the more you’ll get from every employee who works for you.

Employees whose managers climbed the ladder through efforts to promote from within have higher morale. Likely because hiring from within shows an internal culture of supporting each other. Plus, they get to celebrate each other’s successes.

Accelerate onboarding

Managing is hard enough already. Having to then learn new policies and procedures as well as managing a team, understanding a new product or service, and getting to know the rest of their colleagues makes the job even more difficult.

The onboarding process is time-consuming and it takes months for someone to reach their full potential. When you promote from within, you eliminate a lot of this mental load. The person already knows the ins and outs of your organization, so there’s less to take in.

Reducing much of what someone needs to learn during the onboarding process sets them, and the rest of their team, up for a higher level of success.

Strengthen company culture

Never underestimate the power of someone understanding how to navigate your company culture and internal politics.

Learning how to navigate company culture is an extra step in onboarding. Not everyone considers it, but it can add further stress.

Someone who already knows how to navigate it can be a better leader because they’re not there to disrupt things. They already have an existing relationship with other people in the organization.

Culture add is essential when hiring. Some people just don’t gel with your way of doing things no matter how good their skills are on paper.

In fact, 46% of employees are against bringing in outside managers if they present a poor culture fit. A poor fit could create an unwelcoming or uncomfortable atmosphere for your new hire. This will affect the length of their tenure and their whole team’s productivity. Costing you money in the short- and long-term.

On the flip side, when you promote from within, 81% of managers say they feel supported by their teams, 77% find it easier to lead, and 85% feel they have a highly productive team.

Conclusion 

When you promote from within, it can be a powerful motivational tool that shows your employees they have the opportunity to progress within your organization if they put the work in.

It also means you retain more internal knowledge. For older organizations, this can provide crucial insights into past products or tools, strategies, and even long-lost login credentials.

If you’d like to help your newly promoted employees, why not try a tool like Workrowd? Use it to organize your employee initiatives including groups, programs, and events. Plus, with automated feedback surveys, you can support your employees, find out what they really think, and get the most from them. Get in touch today to book your free demo.

5 tips for finding a career coach to help employees succeed
Why you need an ERG mission statement—and what to include
How to write a company mission statement that drives results
Categories
Company Culture

7 ways to overcome generational differences in the workplace

While it may feel like a new issue, generational differences in the workplace have been challenging employers for decades.

“[Insert generation here] are so lazy!”

I’ve heard it said about Millennials, Gen Z, and now Gen Alpha. Previous generations always seem to have negative opinions about younger coworkers, but they’re so rarely true.

Sure, Gen Z wants different things from work than Baby Boomers do. But Boomers could afford to buy a house and support a family on a single salary. Gen Z can barely even afford to rent a place on two salaries, let alone raise a child, too.

With more generations in the workforce than ever before, and people working for longer, businesses need to find ways to manage generational differences in the workplace.

According to data from Statista, 37.5% of those 55 and over are still working. At the same time, 50.9% of 18–24-year-olds are also in the workforce. They have different goals and approaches to work and organizations need to find ways to keep both generations happy. All while supporting everyone in between as well.

There are many strengths that can come from a multi-generational workforce. You can only unlock them though if you build a culture where everyone can work together in harmony. This means acknowledging that generational differences in the workplace exist, and taking steps to mitigate them.

Share stories

Stories stick. They’re how we bond, learn, and grow as humans.

Bridging generational differences in the workplace gets easier when we understand where other people are coming from.

Stories show colleagues what life was like for someone growing up, navigating their first role, studying at university, facing discrimination, juggling work and becoming a parent for the first time, struggling with a chronic illness, etc.

They’re the most powerful tool we have, and they help to humanize the people we work with, too.

So, where and when you can, encourage your employees to share stories. Company or team-wide meetings are good for this.

Leaders can set an example by sharing their own journeys. In doing so, they encourage an open atmosphere where employees also feel comfortable sharing their challenges. They don’t have to worry because they know they’ll be welcomed into the fold, even if they aren’t perfect.

Lead by example

Tying in with the point above, leaders within your organization need to be open to listening to opinions and experiences from every background without judgment.

Assuming someone’s opinion is right because they’re older or more senior opens the door for discrimination. It’s easy for great ideas to get dismissed this way. In turn, it can exacerbate generational differences in the workplace.

You never know where your next great idea or innovation will come from. The more you welcome everyone to share their thoughts—even if they’re from a different team—the more likely you are to stay ahead of the competition.

Offer mentoring (and reverse mentoring)

Mentoring enables employees to experience different perspectives. It teaches younger generations how to navigate the workplace. It can also fill in the soft skills gaps created during the isolation of Covid.

Reverse mentoring, meanwhile, where a younger employee mentors an older one, can help soften generational differences in the workplace. Through reverse mentoring, older generations can learn about new technologies and how the working world has changed since they started. This can help them become more empathetic colleagues and stronger leaders.

Organize employee groups

Your employee groups are important tools to connect employees from different generations. They can put aside generational differences in the workplace and learn about what they have in common, such as location, race/culture, religion, gender, etc.

Using Workrowd, you can make your employee groups easier to organize, and a key part of your employee engagement strategy. Get in touch to book your free demo and find out more.

Foster collaboration between teams/ departments

Encouraging employees to collaborate between teams or departments on projects reduces silos and increases productivity.

For example, sales and marketing often work separately, but when they collaborate it leads to better business outcomes.

After all, marketing feeds the engine. Sales drives it. You can’t have one without the other.

The more you encourage teams to work together, the more employees get used to working with people from different backgrounds. They become more effective communicators and better colleagues, regardless of generational differences in the workplace.

Provide communication workshops

If you really want to tackle generational differences in the workplace, providing communication workshops can be key. They show you’re serious about your employees communicating in a healthy way.

It’s easy to slip into bad habits when you haven’t been reminded of what bad habits look like. Communication trends and word meanings change. So staying aware of these things is a key part of bridging generational differences in the workplace.

There are plenty of words my grandmother’s generation (the Silent Generation) used that have lost their original meaning and now mean something else entirely.

Older generations may not understand modern slang or internet speak. Younger generations may not understand older slang, either.

As technology becomes an even bigger part of our personal and professional lives, helping older generations stay current future-proofs their careers and can even boost their ability to stay connected after they’ve left your organization.

Send surveys

This one is more about you and your organization, but being bold and asking your employees how they feel about generational differences in the workplace can help you get a read on what it’s really like for employees every day.

Too often, leadership lives in an ivory tower where they think everything is fine. This leads to problems getting worse, being brushed under the rug, and people leaving as profits decline.

If you’re serious about getting the most from your employees, you need to know what they think. And you need to actively try to change the things that aren’t working.

Using Workrowd, you can automate your feedback surveys. This helps you gauge how employees feel about things across your employee experience, on a regular basis. It can help you quickly see what’s working and where there’s room for improvement.

Conclusion 

Bridging generational differences in the workplace increases employee engagement and leads to more productive teams. It ensures that everyone can collaborate and communicate across generational divides.

If you’d like help navigating generational differences in the workplace, Workrowd has the tools you need. We make it easy to set up and organize employee initiatives that deepen relationships between team members. With tools to market, manage, and measure your events, programs, and groups, everything is always just a click away. Get in touch today to find out more.

5 tips for finding a career coach to help employees succeed
Why you need an ERG mission statement—and what to include
How to write a company mission statement that drives results