#12 Unlocking employee engagement, fossil fuel talks, and Serengeti heroes
Hello there, it’s Àlex, Marc & Miquel, authors of the 3X Newsletter, home of the impact society.
We are here to inspire some of our brightest citizens to write the next chapters of our history by scaling companies or working on projects that help solve society’s biggest problems, while also living environmentally conscious lives.
Let’s dive in!
One reflection
Unlocking Employee Engagement
A journey through human needs
Employee engagement, at its core, is as a fusion of professional success with personal satisfaction. An engaged employee can be simplified as someone who is achieving their meaningful goals, while enjoying the process.
But the question remains: how do we ensure that individuals feel successful and content at work? Well, if we agree that people are essentially the same inside and outside of work, the answer lies in addressing their fundamental human needs.
These are brilliantly outlined by Maslow's hierarchy of needs:
Physiological Needs: The most fundamental needs for survival, including air, water, food, shelter, sleep, and basic health.
Safety: Predictability, and control in our lives. Emotional and Psychological safety, financial security, etc.
Belonging: Interpersonal relationships, affiliating, connectedness, and being part of a group. Belongingness includes friendship, intimacy, trust, and acceptance.
Esteem: (i) Esteem for oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence) and (ii) the desire for reputation or respect from others (status, prestige)
Self-Actualization: Realizing one’s potential, self-fulfilment, and seeking personal growth.
Now we just need to plot these human needs over the employee journey and a clear engagement roadmap emerges:
Onboarding: Create a sense of safety by providing clarity on roles, responsibilities, and access to necessary resources. Build context to make employees feel secure in their new environment.
Integration: Foster belonging within teams, the larger staff, and the company ecosystem. Cultivate trust by embedding employees in the culture and community.
Value: Empower individuals to contribute meaningfully to the organization, reinforce their sense of importance and achievement and recognize their contributions
Growth: Encourage continuous development and evolution in both their capabilities and the type of impact they make. Acknowledge that personal growth is a natural progression after individuals feel safe, connected, and valued.
These stages do not have clear time boundaries, they persist throughout the entire employee journey and their duration might vary case by case. However, it is recommended to invest in them in the order described above. This ensures that each stage functions as a foundational layer, facilitating the subsequent ones to solidify more effectively.
In the quest to keep employees engaged, it's not just about fancy perks, time off or money. Rather, it's about understanding that organizations are in a great position to help their people meet these fundamental human needs. Can your HR initiatives align with this roadmap? While the approach may differ, the destination remains clear, transcending industries, company sizes, and growth stages.
Food for Thought
Good COP or bad COP?
A historical milestone: It’s the first time we talk about “transitioning away” from fossil fuels.
BUT there is no legal binding, timeline or clear action plan.
AND it was just 2 years ago, in COP26 (Conference of the Parties), that we talked about “phasing down” coal plants, yet 2023 hit the global coal demand record.
In short, it took us 30 years (since the first COP in 1995), to talk about the elephant in the room: fossil fuels. And so far, it’s been just that - talking.
Impact stories
Scientists have confirmed 2023 will be the hottest year on record, with the official declaration from climate change service Copernicus, run by the EU, made with a month to spare.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects, for the first year on record, combined electricity generation from wind and solar to surpass generation from coal in 2024.
Spanish fashion retailer Zara is expanding its service to sell, repair or donate second-hand clothes in several European countries from Dec. 12, the company said, as the market for used apparel grows.
One quote
"Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to."
~Richard Branson
Wildebeest, the unsung heroes of climate change. Scientists have recently discovered that their recovery over the past half-century has led to a significant decrease in grassland fires, thanks to their habitual grazing, transforming the Serengeti from a carbon source into a carbon sink, effectively offsetting all of East Africa's fossil fuel emissions.
Yet another example that restoring natural ecosystems is pivotal towards fighting climate change. Animals, are our partners in this fight. And, as the indigenous would put it: "When we show respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us."
We give, and we get.
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