With the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-pandemic phase that we are currently facing, our work habits have changed considerably, bringing new challenges for wellbeing in the workplace and new transformations in the relationship between employees and employers. HR managers are now called to create and define new approaches that must take into consideration several different factors, from the flexibility and work-life balance offered by remote work to the sense of belonging and collaboration that can be improved by working together onsite.
When considering these factors, it is important to bear in mind a specific objective that has become increasingly relevant: ensuring wellbeing and development opportunities in the workplace. Companies have been increasingly stepping up their efforts to implement wellbeing and engagement programmes which offer employees more opportunities, development activities and dedicated solutions.
An article published by Forbes titled Wellness And The Future Of Work: Some Of The Best Companies Share Their New Solutions provides a wide overview of the many different ways of addressing wellbeing within a corporate context, with options that meet not only professional but also more personal needs.
However, as Forbes notes, approaches directed at individuals and their more personal needs should be combined with efforts to create community and connections. Companies should commit themselves to fostering community and engagement and creating networks between their employees.
The key to providing all this in a meaningful, authentic way is through a well-rounded system based on a broader perspective that only culture can offer, thanks to a framework which combines norms, values and approaches within the company. In order to do this, we at RGI Group have recently launched a new HR services model with many new projects, which include the measurement of both personal and networking skills and the complete customisation of training courses, while relying on digitalisation.
In line with the idea of a comprehensive system, our new model and its related projects are based on three main pillars: clarity, relating to the importance of simplifying and making HR services transparent; growth, which includes personal growth and training; and listening, namely listening directly to the needs of employees
As part of the clarity pillar, we have established a new Group job grading model to help employees on the path to their professional growth. It is complemented by our new competency model CODE – from its pillars Connect, Own, Dare, Evolve – which classifies competencies and key behaviours for personal and professional growth according to the various corporate roles. CODE is a key tool for managing processes and talents and for fostering the growth of our RGI People and the future of our organisation.
In order to promote growth and development in a way that is tailored to the needs and skills of every employee, we have launched a new Learning Management System which a offers a customised experience. Complementing our already existing Corporate Academy, this platform represents a personalised learning resource which also leverages gamification and hybrid training.
Connections are essential within a community: this is why as part of our listening pillar we have introduced our project Organizational Network Analysis (ONA). ONA is a survey aimed at identifying all the relationships within our Group in order to better understand our information and communication flows and be more effective in integrating new elements in the existing structure.
In addition to ONA, we have also designed a new Employee Value Proposition (EVP), a structured model which sets out the benefits and values that RGI Group offers to its employees to drive talent attraction, engagement and retention.
As we intend to evaluate our EVP in a data-driven way that relies on actual listening, we have also launched dedicated pulse surveys so that employees can provide regular comments on their engagement. These surveys underline the importance of feedback and help us understand where the company stand and what it should aim to achieve in the future by working on it.
Through feedback, conversations and openness, firms can make people feel valued, so that they can grow and develop in their career. At the same time, through this listening approach companies can better understand how to move forward and ensure that business results are delivered.
All our approaches are heavily based on digitalisation not only due to the nature of our business, but also because technology can be an enabler for both flexible and diverse workplaces. It offers many new opportunities of learning and development, ensures collaboration even at a distance and integrates different cultures and perspectives while also preserving their authenticity.
All things considered, any strategy that can be adopted to promote the wellbeing and development of people within the company is important to ensure not only the happiness and fulfilment of employees, but also the achievement of business results. When workers feel valued, they feel empowered to reach greater goals.
