Stay Ahead of the Curve: 5 Cultural Trends for 2024 Every Church and Non-Profit Should Embrace
We all know the world is changing. Quickly. And this impacts our church staff teams just as much as any other organization. Recently, O.C. Tanner released their Culture Trends for 2024. You should read the entire article, but I've listed the trends below along with some quotes I've pulled from the study, and my take on how it impacts our teams.
As we've all navigated the ups and downs of the past few years, it's crucial that we stay one step ahead by anticipating future norms that will inevitably shape our organizations. And yes, I understand that most of us are not running Fortune 500 companies, but cultural trends are not just for the corporate world. They echo profoundly in our church or not-for-profit staff teams as well.
Culture Trend #1: Workplace flexibility is here to stay, but what it means is shifting.
I've talked with many church leaders who are frustrated by the "demands" of their team for flexibility, working from home, or hybrid environments. I believe the ship has sailed on this one. If we don't find a way to provide some flexibility, it will limit the quality of staff we are able to hire and keep.
Flexibility is no longer just about where employees work. The future of workplace flexibility is in how employees are able to do their work, and while this includes time and place, it’s also about autonomy and control over their time at work.
A couple practical suggestions...
Consider a hybrid schedule -- for example, on certain days everyone is expected in the office, and other days where there are options to work from home or off-site.
Be flexible with "personal" responsibilities -- everyone is carrying more than you know. They are caring for aging parents, figuring out how to pick up the kids from school, trying to get the car fixed, attending school events, dealing with legal matters and more. The more flexible you can be with your staff, allowing them to take care of some personal responsibilities during "work hours" -- the more valued they will feel, and the more productive they will be.
Right now you are thinking of that one person on your team who is lazy. If you aren't in the office, you are confident they are getting nothing done. My challenge: Deal with the weak links on your team. Don't make policies that handcuff your A-players because of the bad behavior of your C-players. From the report: "Instead of looking at time in the office or computer keystrokes, evaluate employees by outcomes, goals, and job performance."
Culture Trend #2: Employees are looking for empathy—with action.
With return-to-work mandates, layoffs, strikes, and continued post-pandemic burnout, empathy seems to have taken a back seat. Nearly half (42%) of employees don’t feel cared for by their organizations, even though 87% of organizations think they demonstrate enough care.
This should be an easy one for the church, right? We excel in caring for our people. Or do we? Based on conversations I've had with hundreds of church employees, most of them do not feel valued by their organization. I think we might be somewhat bad at this because our "business" is taking care of our congregation. Many times this causes us to overlook our staff team, and we are moving so fast that we don't take the time to love, care and listen.
Leaders -- make sure you are having a regular one-on-one with each of your direct reports. Resist the temptation to skip those meetings because "they are so busy already" or "they don't really need to meet with me." Even for high-capacity leaders who need little direction, they do need your care. Use a people-development tool (like Leadr) to provide a system for you to become a more empathetic leader.
Culture Trend #3: Remembering the essential 80%
The 80% are essential workers who have limited access to technology that connects employees to their organization and also lack autonomy, voice, and opportunity in their roles. Their efforts and their constraints with access and enablement often go unseen, leaving them feeling invisible, unappreciated, and expendable compared to their corporate counterparts.
This one may seem like it doesn't apply to your team or organization--but go with me on this one.
It may not be 80% -- but I promise you there are people working on your staff team who feel invisible, unappreciated, or expendable. In churches, these are often the people who clean or maintain your buildings. Or they are the preschool teachers who can never leave the classroom, so they don't feel like they belong to the rest of the team. Maybe these are your technical or production staff, or those volunteers or leaders who run your food pantry or care center.
Once you identify the people on your team most likely to feel invisible, figure out how to pull them in by recognizing their work, celebrating their accomplishments, and publicly connecting their work to your success. Find a way to systemize this so it happens regularly, and they are no longer forgotten.
Culture Trend #4: Skill building builds more than just skills
In a season with limited resources and budget shortfalls, sadly one of the first line items to go in a church budget is development for our staff: conferences, training resources and continuing education. These seem like "icing on the cake" expenses--yet this report indicates you will have a significantly higher turnover if you aren't continually pouring into your staff and providing learning opportunities.
There is a 9x increase in odds that employees plan on staying another year when organizations and their leaders support skill building.
Per the report, giving our staff additional training isn't just about making them better at their job. It also shows employees they are valued, that your organization cares about them, and it helps build belonging.
Culture Trend #5: Workplace challenges will require more than blunt endurance
This is all about "nimble resilience." It is an acknowledgement that change is a constant. New challenges that we can't anticipate that seem to be coming around every corner -- yes, that is going to continue in every workplace in every industry--including the church.
Rather than ask employees to simply endure, put in place policies that encourage nimbly resilient practices. Ask leaders to openly share information about challenges and changes in the organization, give employees autonomy and flexibility in their work to meet those challenges, and prioritize employee wellbeing and psychological safety. Promote collaboration across the organization and empower employees to rethink how things are done.
It comes back to caring well for our teams. These are unusual times, and they call for us to do what we should do best -- loving and caring for people, beginning with our staff teams.
I'd love to hear from you any practical suggestions you have regarding these 2024 culture trends. If my team can help you, don't hesitate to reach out.