Most workplaces are struggling with reduced engagement and low job satisfaction as a result of the pandemic, the Great Resignation, and the intense competition over talent. People report more negative experiences at work than ever before.
People are more worried and stressed than ever, and 55% of people in the workforce in August 2021 said that they intend to look for a new job in the next 12 months. Although the general trend has been quite negative, some companies have risen to the occasion and are showing strong positive development, contrary to what is happening in many workplaces around the world.
One such positive exception is VTT, one of Europe’s leading research institutions, who conducted an experiment to train 200 of the company’s top leaders through an 8-month long Emergy® WORKPLACE -training during 2021. The tangible results of the program were extraordinary!
Emotional Agency* is the awareness and understanding of emotions and influencing them in activities and interactions in the workplace.
VTT were able to strengthen the emotional agency on both personal level (emotional skills) and organizational level – psychological safety, emotional skills of the workplace, and positive organizational practices have clearly improved compared to the starting point in spring 2021.
And unlike in many other workplaces, organizational commitment and work engagement as well as the sense of belonging and relatedness have improved significantly at VTT. Overall, according to the Emergy Emotional Climate Audit® (EECA®), 12 out of 14 different psychological markers have improved significantly in just over a year. The results are based on a survey of approximately 850 employees who participated in the audit survey 6 months after completing the training program.
As Kirsi Nuotto (SVP of Human Resources at VTT) says: “Groundbreaking innovation requires psychological safety. You cannot innovate if you feel like you are not allowed to fail. VTT’s scientists set out to solve the greatest challenges our planet faces every single day – from combating climate change with carbon neutral solutions to developing new sustainable products and materials. With this level of ambition, our employees need a safe environment to try and learn. For us, emotional agency means being able to stay true to our purpose”.
Learn more about how VTT managed to do this from here:
The answer to the Great Resignation | VTT News (vttresearch.com)
Links to research:
*Scientific article on Emotional Agency at Work: The Development and Validation of a Measure:
Survey: 55% Expecting To Search For A New Job Over The Next 12 Months | Bankrate
Global Emotions Report – Gallup
Harvard Business Review Analytic Services [New Report] (quantumworkplace.com)