Why should HR pay more attention to fashionable words like “leaving silent” and “coffee badge”
“Crésable leaves.” “Coffee badge.” “Workcations”. We have all heard fashionable words in the workplace like these (and we may have recognized the behavior they describe). These terms for professional exhaustion and disillusionment have spread like forest fires on Tiktok and other social media platforms from the pandemic of labor standards.
But HR leaders often do not give much credibility to these concepts. A new survey revealed that almost 40% of HR professionals said that they did not feel interested in fashionable words and that 52% felt curious, but prudent.
Should companies pay more attention to this language which satiates the very structures on which they count? The study, of the research and advice firm McLean & Company, says yes – with some warnings.
No one wants their business to undergo a “great resignation” or their workforce to be in the grip of a “feeling”. Thus, when the new fashionable words are surface, senior leaders often turn to HR to get advice, while employees may want to see their experiences validated and discussed, said Grace Ewles, director of McLean Research and HR consulting services. The first step is to investigate, she said.
“When we buy a car, we want to do our research,” said Ewles. “It’s the same when we hear about fashionable words.” When a new one appears, HR leaders should “seize this opportunity to step back and really understand what stimulates this fashionable word,” she said.
Ewles advises managers to ask: what does the word in the context of our organization mean? Managers must examine internal data–such as employee engagement surveys or discussion groups–To validate or refute the phenomena described by fashionable words. Often, referenced behaviors can be a signal of greater problems.
If the data show a certain validity, such as high levels of professional exhaustion or a desire for balance between professional and private life, it is a signal that there is something to learn from fashionable words, she said.
The big question is, what can we do on this subject? “I think it really amounts to having listening strategies for employees,” said Ewles. “Ensure that we have a pulse, that we have this two -way communication with employees.”
Once the research and listening is completed, it is time for concrete action.
Kristin Stoller
Editorial director, Live Media fortune
kristin.stoller@fortune.com
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