Dive Brief:
- Employers need to think about the habits entrenched in their workforces and how those habits may be holding business back, according to a new report from the Myers-Briggs Company.
- Among other bad habits, an employer's "always on" culture can come at a price, the group said. These cultures create significant stress in the workplace and are linked to negative outcomes including decreased performance, lower satisfaction with family life, poorer health, reduced life satisfaction and decreased sleep quality. To undo such a habit, employers should set reasonable guidelines and get executives to lead by example, Myers-Briggs said.
- Employers also can no longer allow narcissistic leaders to run the show, according to the report. Instead, leaders should be those who create a culture and systems that inspire the people around them, Myers-Briggs said. To get there, employers need to: 1) upskill those who have been propelled into leadership roles without having developed key interpersonal skills; and 2) teach existing leaders about effective approaches.
Dive Insight:
Managers are at the center of so many problems within the workforce. An employer that wants to undo an "always on" culture as Myers-Briggs suggests will need true manager buy-in. But research suggests that such support may be hard to garner. Nearly half of office workers in a recent survey regarding "right-to-disconnect" laws said they would disconnect if allowed but 41% also said their manager wouldn't follow the rule.
And to reshape leadership, employers may have to invest heavily in training, as the report notes. Luckily, studies show that managers are aware of this need, citing a lack of training as a primary driver of their stress. As an added bonus, well-trained managers can improve other employees' experiences, boosting both engagement and retention. After all, employees need not tolerate a supervisor who doesn’t communicate and value their contribution in today’s tight market.
