Starting with 2021, organizations worldwide faced a very unusual situation - employees started to quit their jobs for very different reasons. The whole thing grew so big that the movement even got a name - the Great Resignation.
Naturally, something had to be done. So, new approaches were taken into consideration. As a matter of fact, each day, more and more companies realize the importance of happiness at work, understanding its vital role in retaining the labor force.
Therefore, top management have started instructing team leaders to ensure that their members are supported in terms of their well-being at work. The reason for that? They want to ensure that employees are happy and not thinking about switching jobs.
A Harvard study shows that when leaders support their employees, the team's level of happiness increases by 25%. So, as expected, these struggles and approaches started to show results.
But to what cost?
Is it possible that due to their instructions, leaders are on the brink of landing right in the middle of a Catch-22 position? Is it possible that in their attempt to make things right, top management actually triggers another difficult situation? Well, actually, yes.
Only in the last months, the burnout degree has increased tremendously within the higher levels of organizations. For instance, a survey shows that an average of 39% of people say they suffer from burnout.
Furthermore, these additional tasks leaders have had to perform, such as taking the time and talking to their team members, were taken for granted. Simply put, most often than not, their struggles were not recognized or incentivized. Yes, that's true. Many companies have instructed managers to support their employees with whatever was needed but forgot to add that part in their performance reviews.
Therefore, we couldn't help but wonder - are organizations facing a Catch-22 situation? In their attempt to decrease the attrition rate, are they on the verge of losing their managers?
Well, if they don't start focusing on all their employees, they most certainly will have to deal with another wave of resignations, but this time at the management level.
This being said, today's article aspires to reach out to senior leaders. We want to remind you that the happiness of your managers is just as important as individual contributors. We want to remind you that team managers are your pillars, the ones who steward their teams in the right direction. Don't mistreat them and offer them less than they deserve.
Thus, our take on the matter is simple. Regardless of your C-level position, find time and talk to the heads of your teams. Find out what their situation is like and what parts of their job they consider overwhelming. Get in touch with them to ask about their well-being. Last but not least, understand that what they do to keep the team members happy is part of their job and should be rewarded as such.
Because for an organization to have great performance, absolutely all members need to be happy. But they can only reach this state of well-being if all their struggles are noticed and their superiors appreciate them at the end of the day. Essentially, managers need to receive the same level of empathy from you, their leader, as the one you request of them towards their team. So don't wait until it's too late to show your gratitude for their extra work and struggles.
