As you realign your entire company around the mission to increase organizational effectiveness, don't overlook the importance and timely need for better, more efficient benefits practices. (Photo: Shutterstock)
COVID-19 uprooted our lives and changed the way we live and work. But instead of floundering and mourning what was, clarity can be found amid the chaos that is 2020. As the ways we used to work, socialize, and take care of ourselves are being turned upside-down, we're learning more about what we truly need, and what we can let go. The same is true for our organizations.
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In the midst of all the chaos COVID-19 has unleashed, your organization's mission — and how it affects all aspects of the business — has never been more important. It's time to re-evaluate how we've been doing things, embrace what's needed for the new normal COVID-19 has thrust upon us, and leave behind what no longer serves us.
1. Recommit to your organization's mission
Now is the time to focus on what your organization's goal is as a business. In times of economic prosperity, people don't question their mission or vision — there's often little reason to — but COVID-19 has caused us all to rethink many things in our lives.
Like it or not, we're in a new economic era, and many organizations are rethinking how they fit in this new normal. Is your organization's mission shifting to provide more value in this new normal and have economic viability in the future? How do other parts of your business — everything from operations and HR practices to benefits plans — align to your mission now?
As business leaders evaluate their businesses' next move, it's important to know your organization's mission and how it relates to these new circumstances. Do you have a mission statement? Do your employees know it? Is your organization living it out? Is it still filling an important need in the world? How has your ability to deliver on this mission changed in this new world?
2. Reinvigorate your employees' purpose
Many employees have been yanked from their offices and are now working from home indefinitely. Others have been asked to continue showing up despite health risks and increased safety processes that make work more difficult and strained. No more chats about last night's TV shows around the water cooler, eating lunch together, or even stopping by a colleague's desk to see how they're doing.
Now more than ever, your mission — or lack thereof — will affect your internal culture and morale, because when your mission is still lodged in the old way of doing things, people feel it. Right now, your employees are dealing with so much uncertainty in other aspects of their lives. They're stressed, disrupted, and most are confined to staying at home. That makes finding their purpose at work that much more important.
A recent Gartner report reveals that this year's changes have affected various groups of employees differently. Some employees have formed more connected relationships, while other workers have moved into more task-oriented roles. It's important to know how to include and engage your employees as their roles change in this new world of work.
Reinforcing your mission and values via regular check-ins, a company intranet, email communications, or some combination is vital to keeping your employees in the know as your company pivots and evolves. Every point of communication should tie back to your mission.
3. Use mission as a lens to realign employee benefits
Another way to reinforce your company's mission and ensure your employees are aligned is by ensuring the way you provide benefits is tied into your mission. In the past, many organizations could afford to be more reactive with their benefits strategies, but this can no longer be the case if you want to survive — and thrive — in a COVID-19 world. This year has been atypical for health benefits. Elective procedures have been rescheduled for later in the year or delayed indefinitely. Many people are skipping regular check-ups and cancer screenings, which can cause problems later down the road. Relying on last year's benefits data to make decisions for this new normal isn't going to work.
In this new reality, improving your health care data practices can help you deliver on your mission and equip your people with the benefits they need most. Increasing your ability to uncover predictive insights and identify patterns among your population is paramount. This will help you avoid unnecessary procedures, recommend lower-cost drugs, mitigate risk, and improve the efficiency of care, as well as build plans unique to your population that help them get the care that's right for them.
As you realign your entire company around the mission to increase organizational effectiveness, employee morale, and business results, don't overlook the importance and timely need for better, more efficient benefits practices.
The time to change is now
In the midst of all the overwhelming disruption and change going on, don't miss the opportunity to realign your HR and benefits practice with your organization's mission and employees' needs. There has never been a better time to get back to what's most important, and your organization's long-term success depends on it.
Rod Reasen is the CEO of Springbuk, a health intelligence platform determined to prevent disease with data. This industry-leading platform allows employers to maximize the investment they're making in their most valuable resource — people. This simplified lens places all of the vendor and program management activities and accountabilities in one place.
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