It has been well documented in recent years that people are craving a real sense of purpose in their work. Sadly, research from Accenture reveals how few of us have that. The report outlines the various ways in which organizations can strengthen their culture and improve the connectivity people feel with their work.

“Leaders are focused on accessing, creating, and unlocking their people’s full potential, and are realizing that this is an opportunity to reassess their cultures and ways of working,” Accenture says. “By creating an environment where the focus is on connection, communication and fostering trust, leaders are signaling that their people’s time and talent are respected and valued, which our research shows pays dividends in terms of revenue and productivity.”

Building connections

Accenture wanted to challenge the assumption that connectivity with one’s work is only possible when working on-site. Indeed, of the workers the company studied, it was those on-site that felt least connected compared to their hybrid or remote peers. In fact, those working remotely were half as likely to feel disconnected as their on-site peers.

As a result, Accenture believes that while in-person time is important, physical proximity is not sufficient on its own to overcome challenges like a lack of flexibility, leadership support, or a general purpose.

The value of this sense of purpose was clear, with organizations where the workforce has it generally seeing a boost to their revenue of around 7%. Such a workforce was also nearly 30% more likely to be a trusting workforce, while the employees within it were 59% more likely to stay and 90% more likely to say they were productive (and productive wherever they worked).

“People and culture are organizations’ top sources of competitive differentiation and at the heart of growth. As people fundamentally re-evaluate their relationships with work, leaders have the opportunity to strengthen culture by looking beyond space and place,” Accenture explains. “By creating omni-connected experiences, leaders put relationships first and level the playing field so every person can work to their full potential in ways that work for them—which deepens trust and drives business results.”

Improving employee experience

Sadly, just 17% of those surveyed actually felt like they had such an omni-connected experience at work. The report provides managers with various things they can do to help improve matters.

• Instill modern leadership: Lead by listening first and following commitment with action. When people feel safe to speak up, they should be met with empathy, compassion and respect. By communicating regularly and transparently, leaders can deepen trust with their people.
• Grow a thriving culture: People who see a clear line from their work to company purpose are more connected and fulfilled. Leaders can deepen that connection by championing how different ideas and experiences matter to the long-term success of the organization, and by creating an environment where people’s whole heath is cared for.
• Enable the agile organization: Omni-connected experiences help people be productive wherever they are. Leaders need to expand the notion of flexibility to also consider when and how individuals work best. From there they can build flexibility frameworks that are agile enough to be adapted to meet changing needs in a fluid environment.
• Empower people through technology: Building a robust technology foundation in the cloud is the first step. The next are empowering people to experiment and explore emerging technologies like the metaverse and giving people the autonomy to improve their own processes using tech and data.