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I was perusing news articles online recently when the headline of a piece by Korn Ferry caught my eye. “5 Workplace ‘Rules’ to Consider Breaking—Now,” it read.
The article was about how, post-pandemic, the traditional concept of the workplace has changed, and how leaders are—or should be—open to rethinking the standards that went along with that now-outdated status quo.
As I was reading through the article, I noticed that most of the suggestions revolved around some version of the idea of “bringing your whole self to work.” That is, approaching each employee as a well-rounded person with a unique set of skills and experiences that can be applied in new, useful, and niche ways for success in their companies.
For example, the article noted, if your company is trying to reach a younger demographic, you might solicit advice from employees who are recent college graduates to understand the motivations and setbacks their peers face—helping you to better target this demographic. These employees may find that offering this insight provides them with better visibility among their colleagues and even leads to additional opportunities within the company. “While this might not be considered a traditional skill, it is a unique aptitude,” Korn Ferry says.
Another paragraph noted that employees “don’t need a formal title to be a leader” and anyone can step forward with ideas and suggestions, while another section argued networking isn’t just for after-hours and should be encouraged throughout the workday not only among team members, but also across departments.
I began thinking about how, in our post-pandemic world, the lines between our work lives and our personal lives have been blurred more than ever. Aided by technology, your typical Wednesday could start with an 8 a.m. meeting on Zoom, followed by working out at the gym near your home, followed by six hours in your company’s office, followed by taking the kids to their weekly soccer game, followed by dinner at home and a few more hours of work and Zoom meetings from your home office.
It’s no surprise, then, that Korn Ferry has picked up on the need for organizations to treat their employees as whole people, with unique skills and insights to offer. Because the value people bring to a company isn’t limited to the departments, teams, or other siloes they work within. Nor is it limited to what’s on their resumes. Their value may come from unexpected places, or in unexpected ways. Work-life balance isn’t just about freeing people from the confines of their jobs; it’s also about fostering a mutually beneficial relationship among the different aspects of an individual’s existence. If you’re fulfilled in your personal life, you bring better, more creative, more successful ideas to work; and if you’re fulfilled in your work life, you bring that energy to your personal life. It’s a win-win.
We talk so much about flexibility when it comes to schedules and remote work, but companies really need to be flexible in how they approach their people—making sure they see them for the well-rounded individuals they are. That’s why at WAHVE we’ve always shunned the idea of recruiting and hiring based solely on resumes. Rather, our extensive qualifying process looks beyond skills and experience to assess a candidate’s true potential value for an organization, as well as their fit within an organization’s culture. It’s one of the reasons WAHVE has a 90% success rate.
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