First published in the Orlando Business Journal (May 1, 2025) by Edwin Mouriño Ph.D.
Story Highlights
- Constant organizational changes and Covid-19 have affected workforce wellbeing negatively.
- Workers increasingly prefer remote or hybrid work for better work/life balance.
- Effective leadership behaviors can improve employee engagement and retention.
Organizations have been going through change by reorganizing, restructuring, downsizing, rightsizing, re-engineering, outsourcing, and racking and stacking their employees in order to remain competitive.
While one can understand the organizational changes for the sake of improvements, it has not exactly left the workforce with a warm and fuzzy feeling as to their long-term viability.
As if this was not enough, then came the Covid-19 pandemic that put many to work remotely and shifted the paradigm on the workplace as we once knew it. Now there is a big push by organizations to have workers return to the office. The pandemic also caused reflection by many on what was really important in life and, in turn, led to a change in worker psychology.
Constant change is having an effect on today’s workforce. Seventy percent of today’s workforce are tired of being overworked, 72% are reporting sleeping difficulties and 54% are engaging in unhealthy eating habits.
- Are you demonstrating effective leadership behaviors (not just managing)?
- How do you know? Have you checked with your workforce?
- Are you taking care of yourself and your workforce?
- How would you and your workers describe your organizational culture? (Culture reflects leadership.)
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In the book “Dying for a Paycheck,” work is cited as the fifth cause of death due to stress. More of today’s workers prefer wellbeing over a cutthroat environment; they want to be appreciated (a simple thank you) and crave meaning and purpose in life, which they are not finding at work. Leaders are not exempt, with 71% reporting significant stress since stepping into management and 40% considering stepping down.
Increasingly more prefer to work remotely, or have a hybrid schedule or even four-day work weeks, which they believe will lead to better health and work/life balance. Some countries and organizations have tried the four-day work week with success. While remote work has become a controversial topic, there is research highlighting the increased productivity that remote or hybrid workers can have. Yet more managers believe working remotely leads to less productivity and promotability (“out of sight, out of mind” syndrome).
Still, there is hope. When managers demonstrate effective leadership behaviors, it can lead to positive results. A Gallup study highlighted that when managers are more engaged, it leads to workforce engagement. When managers actually listen (one study found only 8% of leaders were effective at listening and communicating), were empathetic and compassionate, it led to innovation, increased engagement and employee retention.
Being more effective in interpersonal skills, along with creating a psychologically safe environment, can lead to happier employees, less time sick, less absences, more loyalty and increased productivity. Managers need to create a trusting environment, be more transparent and truly care about their workers.
It’s key for those in management to consider:
- Are you demonstrating effective leadership behaviors (not just managing)?
- How do you know? Have you checked with your workforce?
- Are you taking care of yourself and your workforce?
- How would you and your workers describe your organizational culture? (Culture reflects leadership.)
Remember, today’s workers have different expectations. They are increasingly multigenerational and multicultural, and they need a leader who creates a safe and healthy workplace, especially with so much change. They need one who communicates well, is transparent, trustworthy and caring. Are you up for this?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Edwin Mourin᷁o – Ruiz, Ph.D.
Dr. Edwin Mouriño is an Air Force veteran, author, Human Capital, and DEI practitioner and speaker. As a human capital practitioner, Dr. Mouriño’s focus has been on helping leaders and organizations help themselves. He is an experienced professional with many years of leading and/or supporting key elements of organizational change projects. Dr. Mouriño is an Air Force veteran who began his career in Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) as a graduate of the DOD-Defense Equal Opportunity & Management Institute (DEOMI) and has also been a speaker.
He brings broad industry experience that includes Fortune 100 companies. He is the founder and president of Human Intelligent (HI) Workplace, an organization focused on helping leaders help themselves through leadership, team development, and executive coaching. He has been and continues to serve as a college professor. He is also a Senior Fellow with the Conference Board on the DEI and Leadership Steering Committees.
He has extensive experience and thought leadership on Human Capital issues and supported organizational change efforts through Leadership Development, DEI, Executive Coaching, Team Development, Executive Retreats, Personality Assessments, and Organizational Change. He has spoken at numerous professional venues and written numerous articles on human capital trends impacting organizations, specifically addressing DE, and is the author and co-editor of several books.
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