Pamela Cohen, PhD
President, WerkLabs
W
elcome. We are pleased to present you with the Work Now Report.
This past April, WerkLabs surveyed ~2,000 individuals from across the country in a variety of industries to learn how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted work and home life.
Using predictive analytics, we uncovered key drivers of the employee experience during COVID-19 and linked these drivers to critical performance outcomes, such as likelihood to remain with employer.
More specifically, we determined what drivers have the greatest impact on different subsets, such as parents.
As a result, we have developed prescriptive solutions for managing the employee experience now and in returning to the office.
We find that there are two key factors impacting employee experience amidst COVID-19 (1) Workplace Policies & Practices and (2) Employee Socio-emotional Well-being. These factors each consist of multiple drivers that can be positively impacted by organizational efforts and initiatives.
Unlike other research being conducted on COVID-19, we explore how organizations can take action to not only improve employee's work experience, but also their overall well-being.
In this report you will find:
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Introduction and Background
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Overview of Key Findings
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Male vs. Female Comparison
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Parent vs. Non-Parent Comparison
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Research-Backed Solutions
It is our hope that in reading this report, we are able to provide organizations with key insights into how their employees may be differentially experiencing the burden of COVID-19. We also hope that our findings not only initiate important conversations but drive meaningful change.
Kind Regards,
Pam Cohen
Employee Experience Drivers
At WerkLabs, we know that employees are experiencing new levels of stress, isolation, and exertion in response to work-from-home mandates.
That is why we felt it important to include social and emotional aspects of life in addition to work factors in our approach to understanding the employee experience.
Throughout the report we refer to 'drivers' of employee experience. These drivers can either relate to and impact (a) Workplace Policies and Practices or (b) Employee Socio-emotional Well-being.
Workplace Policies and Practices
These drivers are all the established systems and practices executed across the organization, such as flexibility and benefits.
Employee Socio-emotional Well-being
These drivers capture the extent to which employees are empowered by their organization to prioritize their personal well-being to minimize stress.
I am stressed out about work and family most of the time, and feel I am doing most things poorly as it is hard to focus on just one thing right now."
Workplace Policies & Practices
My CEO is sending my son a book she thinks he will enjoy. She makes sure I know it’s ok for mothering to come first. I feel so thankful I can be honest about my needs and still be respected as a worker and teammate."
1.
Organizational Leadership
The most impactful driver amidst COVID-19 is the extent to which employees trust, respect, and believe that organizational leadership acts on the best interest of its employees.
2.
Job Clarity
The pandemic has brought along with it much confusion. No one quite knows what the future of work will look like. The extent to which employees know what is expected of them in the present- their responsibilities, priorities, goals- impacts their experience.
3.
Managers
How managers engage with their direct reports strongly influences employees during this time. Communication and empathy are especially important.
25% decrease in retention
Employees indicating that predominantly their work has been impacted, report being 25% more likely to leave their employer within one year's time.
Socio-emotional Well-being
My boss and upper management are completely unsupportive in regards to work while taking care of an 8 month old. They are also naive in the fact that our roles and responsibilities need to change amongst a pandemic."
1.
Holistic Support
The extent to which leadership and managers support their employees in finding balance between work and home life is the most impactful driver on well-being.
2.
Schedule Manageability
The ability and encouragement employees have in managing their own schedules, such as deciding when to get on and offline, significantly impacts socio-emotional well-being and finding balance between home and work life.
3.
Social Connectedness
Isolation is a key stressor impacting many. How socially connected employees stay with one another is key during a mandated work-from-home environment.
~ 7% less Socially Connected
Employees reporting that predominantly their well-being has been impacted, report feeling 7% less socially connected than other groups of employees.
Grounded in behavioral science and analytics, WerkLabs' prescriptive and predictive measurement solution provides actionable insights to maximize company-specific performance outcomes. Our proprietary measurement solution is delivered in an interactive dashboard, constructed using predictive analytics methodology and voice of employee input from surveys. Taken together, this approach establishes a “cause-and-effect” relationship between drivers of employee experience and critical business outcomes such as productivity, retention, and recommendation as a place to work.
The experts on understanding employee experience
Led by Dr. Pam Cohen, WerkLabs is comprised of a team of experienced researchers with backgrounds in applied psychology, behavioral economics, and human behavior. Together, our team uncovers prescriptive and predictive insights using WerkLabs unique, empirically rigorous methodology.
Meet Dr. Pam Cohen, President of WerkLabs
Pam Cohen is a behavioral research scientist with expertise in predictive analytics. She combines qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to create measurement systems and analyze data on workplace sentiment and engagement, family friendly policies, corporate reputation, and social responsibility, linking those and other relevant intangibles to key performance outcomes. Her teaching and research is focused on applications of behavioral economics and social psychology.