By Ray Birch
LOMBARD, Ill.—A significant number of employees today, including at credit unions, are “burned out,” according to one analyst who is cautioning that if employers don’t survey staff to understand their outlook and needs, they will soon be looking to fill vacancies in a very tight job market.
A big key for employers? Practicing empathy, according to Karen Kislin, a strategic advisor at Raddon, a Fiserv company.
“It is important to understand where the burnout is coming from in your employees,” said Kislin. “You have to engage with your employees to hear their voices. And, in my opinion, more management teams across the country need to start practicing empathy. They need to demonstrate empathy and have that higher level of emotional intelligence, because of how burned out employees are today.”
That burnout is not being driven by work-related issues as much as it is by other factors brought on by the pandemic, said Kislin, who pointed out a return to working in the office brings with it more stress and the possibility of an even greater sense of exhaustion among staff if the return to office work is not handled correctly.
Kislin cited Spring Health’s December 2020 survey results that show 76% of employees are experiencing symptoms of burnout, and 57% of those cite the main reason is not the workplace, but COVID-19. Another third of respondents experiencing burnout reference political issues as the cause.
As CUToday.info reported, a recent report indicates half the work force is considering changing jobs.
“It's not workplace burnout, it's this prolonged stressful environment from the COVID pandemic, the political polarization of this country and social unrest,” said Kislin. “All those elements in more than a year’s worth of stress, and in an uneasy economic environment, has compounded everything to create burnout…There's already so many human resources professionals predicting a mass resignation as more employers mandate a return to office, because of so much of the workforce prefers this flexibility with a remote work environment.”
‘Pretty Satisfied’–For Now
Kislin said Raddon data show employees, largely, are not having issues with their employers.
“What we're finding is employees are actually pretty satisfied with their employer—with their credit union,” she said.
According to Kislin, to date most staff have been pleased with their employers over how they have effectively handled work during the health crisis, allowing staff to operate remotely. She said satisfaction, too, comes from employees believing in the mission of the organization and from effective communication and engagement during the pandemic.
Today, however, the scene is shifting, with employers calling staff back to work into the office, some full time, and some with a mix of remote and office work. CUToday.info has been regularly reporting on the return to the office of workers across the globe.
As CUToday.info reported, credit union leaders are predicting a labor shortage in the coming months and a war for talent in which wages will likely increase. While keeping employees in the war for talent will certainly be based on wages and benefits, Kislin said flexibility has become almost as important.
Multiple Strategies
As CUToday.info has reported in its back-to-work series, continuing remote work or a hybrid model, and even a four-day work week are strategies being put in place or tested by employers
“Employees are saying flexibility—remote work—is actually pretty important to me, and I'm willing to find another employer to keep that,” Kislin said. “But now employers are also saying we’re going back to work in the office, so, that's sort of mucking up the waters. It's not for everyone, but a good majority of the workplace is enjoying the benefits of working from home—but another piece is social engagement. Some have felt isolated during the pandemic, and not as connected with coworkers or other departments. Going back to the office is desired by these workers, they want the social engagement.”
Getting Inside Workers’ Heads
The often opposing views on remote work combined with how different demographic segments of workers view employment demands employers survey their teams to find out “where their heads are at,” said Kislin.
“It’s about understanding a lot of different things,” she explained. “It’s understanding your mix of Gen Z, Gen X, Millennials, Baby Boomers…The pandemic has hit Millennials tougher than just about any generation. They have the kids at home when public schools and daycare shut down. That put an extra strain on them. So, childcare is an option to provide. More Millennials will be willing to come back to work if they know daycare is available…That’s why surveying your employees on regular basis to determine their preferences, what they are thinking, and how engaged they are with the company is so important now.”
Kislin re-emphasized the importance of employers showing empathy, including even providing better mental health assistance for staff. She pointed to the Spring Health survey in which 26% of employees cited the need for empathetic management to help mitigate burnout and support mental health.
How CUs Grade Out?
What kind of job have credit unions done with their employees?
“It's a mixed bag,” responded Kislin, saying she’s seen some do better and some worse in respondint to employee needs.
One factor is the empathy shown with staff in understanding the demans of a remote work enrvironment, she said.
“Some companies immediately shifted to an empathy focus, managed well in a remote environment, communicated with employees and stayed connected with them,” Kislin told CUToday.info. “They’ve had very little turnover while other institutions’ management was not prepared for remote environment and they're still struggling with that. They are the culprits—wanting more employees to come back to work in the office because they're just not comfortable managing in a remote environment.”