DECEMBER 2020HR TECH OUTLOOK9organisations flatter and more fluid. The aim is for work to be done by flexible and empowered teams. It's important that talent can move across functions and groups easily.There is also a lot of interest in the future of jobs, skills and capabilities. This includes optimising automation, using contingent labour, reshaping the architecture of work, and setting out pathways for reskilling employees.All these efforts should be focused on addressing the central challenge of enabling people to do their best work. In other words, freeing people up, so they can contribute more and feel a greater sense of personal accomplishment.A second and related engagement challenge is ensuring people's wellbeing. Wellbeing was moving up the leadership agenda even before the coronavirus crisis accelerated concerns over health, anxiety and stress. This is because a lot of research has shown the performance advantage that comes from having effective wellbeing programs. This includes lower rates of absence and turnover, less presenteeism, reduced healthcare costs, and higher revenue. Many organisations now take an integrated approach to wellbeing, which incorporates four dimensions: physical, emotional, financial, and social. Increasingly, wellbeing is not viewed as an individual program or initiative. Rather, it is woven into the fabric of an organisation's values and the employee experience.The connection to employee engagement is obvious. It's one thing to be committed to an organisation and prepared to go the extra mile, but it's even more important to be able to sustain your level of energy over time and to maintain your level of performance.Engagement efforts are far more effective when they are run in combination with a focus on employee wellbeing. This includes proactive health and wellness programmes, access to healthcare and mental health support. It includes having a healthy and safe physical work environment. It also means creating work-schedule and working-place flexibility. The other element of sustainable engagement is ensuring that teams benefit from inclusion and diversity. This includes diversity of background and experiences, diversity of thinking and attitudes, and diversity in ways of tacking work problems.To thrive in today's rapidly changing world, organisations must adopt a healthy company culture, where inclusion and diversity is at the heart of employees' experience. This means people can bring their best selves to work ­ collaborating, sharing ideas, and helping to increase overall engagement, productivity and financial results.There is a lot of research that connects inclusion and diversity to improved performance. Scott Page, for example, highlighted the importance of diversity of perspectives on team performance in his book "The Difference". In particular, he highlighted how innovation depends on diverse people working together and by capitalising on their individuality. This is an essential human performance element of sustainable engagement. Other studies have shown the impact of company inclusion and diversity programmes on productivity, revenue and profitability.These connections to wellbeing, enablement and inclusion are critical in order to create sustainable engagement, rather than simply focusing on discretionary effort and going the extra mile.Moreover, this holistic and integrated perspective is part of an overall shift within organisations towards focusing on employee experience (EX). We are only at the start of this new science of EX, which uses new technology and design thinking to create lasting behaviour change. At its heart is the goal of building more human-centred organisations in the future of work. Engagement efforts are far more effective when they are run in combination with a focus on employee wellbeingNick Lynn
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