Recently Microsoft announced a new benchmark for measuring employee performance and well-being, and it isn’t engagement – it’s thriving.
In an article from Inc, Microsoft shared that thriving and work-life balance are connected, but not identical.
“Microsoft landed on this new definition after noticing a gap between the results of its extensive annual employee engagement survey and a somewhat more sober reality. Even though employees gave their experience high ratings across dimensions, a deeper dive into the data revealed a number of struggles. To get a more accurate idea of the status quo, and design measures to improve it, Microsoft made the shift to employee thriving as a higher and more actionable benchmark.” So, what does it take for an employee to thrive?
According to an article from Microsoft published by Harvard Business Review, there are three themes identified by employee surveys: culture matters, thriving takes a village, and thriving and work-life balance are not the same thing.
With the Truvelop app, managers can create a culture of collaboration in a couple of ways. One, using Spark, not only can managers recognize employees for hard work or a recent win, but team members can also recognize one another, building a culture of camaraderie. Two, managers can survey employees. Getting a frequent pulse on what employees are thinking or feeling can help managers determine ways to help them thrive if they are feeling frustrated or discouraged. For inexperienced managers, the manager cue cards provide insights into ways managers can engage and coach employees.
Managers should not feel the burden rests solely on their shoulders to ensure an employee is thriving. An employee may be performing well and reporting good employee experiences, but still feel uninspired. Workplaces that foster collaboration, frequent communication and opportunities for engagement with other teams can help employees have a more comprehensive experience that addresses all of their needs from HR to IT, marketing to finance.
While it is important that employers focus on building a culture that recognizes employees can’t work 24/7 and that it is okay and encouraged to pay attention to their mental health and personal demands, work-life balance does not necessarily mean an employee is thriving. Frequent communication with employees will help managers to know if an employee is satisfied in their role or where there might be an opportunity to evolve their contribution to the business. Perhaps they have ideas or see an opportunity for collaboration. Or maybe they want a mentor or to learn a new skill.
Shifting the benchmark for employee success from engagement to thriving will help drive employee performance and more importantly, retention.
Contact us today to learn more about our modern approach to performance management and development and how it solves for retention. Don’t just take our word for it, see what our Customers have to say.
