The pandemic created an environment in which so many changes happened in such a short amount of time that only now are companies beginning to digest and implement what they’ve learned.
Someone leading her organization’s adaptation to the new world of work is Eveline Jaynes, Director of Talent Acquisition and Management at Laserfiche. She recently joined The BragWorthy Culture Podcast to discuss how Laserfiche is adapting to the post-pandemic world.
Laserfiche is a SaaS provider of intelligent content management and business process automation. It uses powerful workflows, electronic forms, document management and analytics to eliminate manual processes and automate repetitive tasks. Laserfiche team members are committed to empowering customers and inspiring people to reimagine how technology can transform lives.
Managing Multinational Teams
Laserfiche has been in business for over three decades now and has a presence in Canada, Ireland, England and China, in addition to the US headquarters. Eveline noted that a key to successfully utilizing that global reach is communication, particularly on collaborative projects. As one office closes down for the day, it needs to brief and hand off any urgent projects to the next office that is opening up for the day, so that stakeholders in any given project can count on the work getting done on time.
From Great Resignation to the Great Execution
Eveline pointed out that the pandemic was merely the first in a series of shocks. Next came the Great Resignation — as a result of people’s lives being interrupted, they started considering alternatives, and often those alternatives included quitting their current jobs.
After the Great Resignation was the Great Reflection, which featured employees reflecting more deeply on what they want from their careers and being mindful about where and how they work.
And on the horizon now is what Eveline calls the Great Execution, in which organizations can take all the newly acquired knowledge about themselves and their team members to make necessary changes to the work environment and company culture.
An Opening To Come Back to the Office
One of the necessary changes many companies had to make to the work environment was going fully remote. Laserfiche was no different, but last year it broke ground on a new corporate headquarters that will feature collaborative spaces as well as rooms for autonomy and independence. It’ll offer a three-day workweek that Eveline hopes will entice some team members to start coming back to the office (no mandates are in place at the moment).
For her part, Eveline has taken the opportunity to “workcation” in Hawaii recently. She had to figure out how to navigate the time difference but, once she did, she still managed to coordinate with her teams and the client groups she supports. She found that being in an environment that resonated with her allowed her to be even more productive.
Why Employees Leave
The opportunity that Eveline had to work in Hawaii was, in a way, part of her professional development. A lack of opportunity for professional development is one of the top three reasons that employees are leaving their companies at the moment. Other reasons are:
- A lack of connection to the company’s mission and/or lack of belief in the product or division they are part of.
- An insufficient number of strong work relationships.
Strong work relationships can be particularly difficult to develop in fully remote environments. That’s why management has to find creative ways for team members to engage with each other in social ways — and why the plan to re-engage some employees with an in-office work environment can make a big impact on employee retention.
As for professional development, Eveline and her team have implemented a number of programs, including:
- Knowledge Sharing — when team members attend a conference, get new certifications or undertake continuing ed, they are encouraged to share information with the team to help bring new trends and innovation to the workplace, as well as stir healthy debate about those trends and how they might fit in with what the team is already doing.
- Volunteer Time Off — as employees reflected on their lives during the pandemic, many expressed a desire to give back in some way. Laserfiche honors this by offering paid time off for team members to give back to causes they care about.
In a larger sense, professional development is about recognizing that work and a career are more than just the time put in at the office or on the job, but about developing the person you are.
The Digital Transformation Journey
Eveline believes that businesses and leaders that want to thrive in the modern economy will need to embark on a digital transformation journey. That means delivering necessary people, necessary practices and cultural changes in a post-pandemic world.
This requires a new entrepreneurially-minded generation that can harness technology and drive innovation to empower that change. Eveline wants to help develop this generation by focusing on empathy, coaching, flexibility and well-being in her new hires. She believes that “AQ and EQ eat IQ for breakfast,” and it makes sense, given that adaptability (AQ) and empathy (EQ) have special resonance in a remote world in which people need to feel included and heard.
Check Out the Full Episode
Learn more about tactics to increase employee engagement and retention from Eveline by listening to our full interview on Apple or Spotify.
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