The Tangible Tools Employers Can Use Today

Learn more about employees by adding questions to employee surveys that can provide deeper insights into the attitudes, motivators, goals, concerns, and values of employees — both in and out of work — going beyond typical demographic information

Prioritise investment in programs that will be most impactful for different groups of employees

Personalise communications to be meaningful for various employee groups in order to drive greater program awareness, usage, and, ultimately, impact

Regularly communicate to employees about issues affecting the company, as well as the greater culture

Provide exposure to senior leadership through small group discussions, town hall (or “all hands” events, and roadshow visits to different offices

Solicit continuous employee feedback on workplace perspectives, and most importantly, ensure that feedback is meaningfully acted upon in a visible way

Look for ways to continuously recognise employee achievements outside of annual performance reviews — consider implementing things like peer-to-peer recognition program, allowing colleagues to acknowledge each other with points that can be redeemed for prizes

Ensure employees understand how their role contributes to the organisation’s mission, so they fully understand how they help achieve success

Support employee-led identity or affinity groups, where employees can engage with others with similar backgrounds or interests — and encourage people who are interested in learning more about certain identity groups to join, in order to weave an appreciation for diversity into the fabric of the organisation

Offer policies around flexibility that are accessible to employees across all life-stages — adaptable work schedules, additional paid leave to take care of family, and permission to work remotelyare among the most requested

Offer clear rules around workplace flexibility programs from the top down, and hold managers accountable for implementing them consistently across the organisation; this can help alleviate employee stress around leveraging the organisation’s flexibility offering

Offer benefits and integrate policies that support employees’ lives outside of work — emerging benefits such as additional paid time off, programs that reward healthy behavior, professional development, and flexibility are among those employees say they want most

Help managers better understand what to do during an employee’s short- or long-term leave of absence — provide guidance around who is now responsible for that employee’s work, how the extra workload will be managed by coworkers, and how that employee is going to reintegrate once they are back

Foster a culture of continuous learning, looking for ways to integrate training into everyday experiences, so employees don’t think that such programs are distracting them from accomplishing their daily tasks

Encourage peer-to-peer mentoring within the business, across disciplines so that employees can learn from each other and learn about the business as a whole.

Encourage self-directed learning outside the workplace, through resources like podcasts or documentaries

Leverage the variety of established and start-up companies that provide unique technology-enabled workforce education platforms to keep employees’ knowledge and skills up to date in an personalised, agile, and easy way

Position managers as role models, and encourage them to transparently and actively share the steps they personally are taking to advance their professional development

Create trainings that develop employees’ soft skills, such as creativity, leadership, or communication — skills AI can’t yet replace

Offer timely promotions with clear criteria and timing to help employees know where they are on their trajectory, and give them career coaches who can help guide them (similar to programs in place to help many CEOs)

Offer professional development opportunities that are not based on promotion — such as work rotations or stretch and step-up assignments (where, under the right guidance, employees take on responsibilities typically reserved for more senior employees)

Offer a wide range of benefits, both employer- and employee-paid, so employees have the ability to build packages that are personalised to their individual needs and that can be changed as their needs evolve

Complement traditional benefits with employee assistance and well-being programs, which support an array of work-life challenges — such as mental health counselling, on-siteyoga classes, health checks, life coaching, and nutrition health consultations — partnering with third-party vendors when necessary

Offer a variety of experiences and tools to help employees better understand their benefits — such as videos, guided learning experiences and real-life stories about employees’ experiences using their benefits

Use financial wellness programs, leveraging tools and resources that are shown to drive real impact — such as personalised advice, one-on-one guidance, and goal-orientated short- and long-term planning

Enhance retirement savings programs — offering ways to generate income as well as strategies to help them manage their savings so that they don’t outlive them

Engage employees as if they were customers: alter the way benefits are communicated instead of focusing on individual products, help employees understand how benefits work together to add value to their lives.

Using a combination of the channels employees find most effective; the top three most preferred channels are a confirmation of benefits issued by the employer, one-on-one consultation with an employer, and an employee benefits handbook.

Look to communicate the value of benefits throughout the year.