Looking Back, Looking Forward, Grateful For Right Now

Ah, 2021! The year we thought was going to usher in a full recovery from COVID-19. But as we all know, those thoughts were premature. Yet somehow we have managed to adapt to ways of living and doing business none of us could have even imagined just 3 short years ago!

As I attempt to make sense of it all, I’ve been scouring every resource for clues that may help as we continue to evolve and emerge into a world we still don’t have a clear image of. Some of the experts in various fields have opinions that I share, and those are the ones I share with you as we forge into the New Year filled with anticipation for better times to come.

The Great Resignation Gives Rise To A Greater Focus On Employee Retention

It’s quite a term this “great resignation.” It certainly came as a huge surprise to many industries as employees started giving notice that they would not be returning to work after the pandemic caused a global shutdown and millions of layoffs. Hardest hit are the health field, hospitality, cruise lines and high-tech. From my perspective this puts investment in employee retention at the very top of the list of importance for businesses to focus on, as well as a focus on attracting new employees. How will you make your employees who have stayed with you feel more valued? How will you attract talent that will help your business stabilize and grow into the future during these uncertain times?

Remote Work Requires Self-Leadership

With remote work taking root throughout many businesses, employees will be looking for different things when they look for employment. Our corporations are going to experience a new kind of “leadership.” One article I read said it well: “Self-leadership will gradually replace leadership through leaders and control. Workers who are able, willing, and motivated to take on responsibility will thrive and enable greater agility in their organizations. Managing the transition to this new way of functioning organizations requires two measures: Selecting the right talents and socializing them in the right way.” https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/11/what-is-the-great-resignation-and-what-can-we-learn-from-it/

Areas In Which Employees Will No Longer Compromise

Every company is having to establish a culture of “individualized working conditions.” Employees are no longer chained to an office, a desk, endless series of unproductive meetings, all of which now seem archaic. Yet there still must be accountability. According to weforum.org, “When establishing a culture of individualized working conditions, organizations need to know the approximate 5 areas, abilities, behavior and rules where they cannot and will not compromise – such as high self-responsibility and conscientiousness or ability for self-development but remain quite flexible at working times, working places and workplace setups. We know from previous research that a lot of work has actually never happened at work due to the M&Ms “the managers and the meetings” as Jason Fried said in his famous TED talk, which keep people at work away from work.”
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/11/what-is-the-great-resignation-and-what-can-we-learn-from-it/

Return of In-Person Events

Even though mid-year 2021 looked promising, in-person events were still spotty until the end of the year. So far, this year it looks like there will be a more robust return to in-person events despite the concerns of new COVID variants. I am happy to report that a majority of our clients already have plans to exhibit at trade shows, hold sales meetings, and conduct in-person employee events.

Oversaturated Digital Marketing Calls For Complimentary Promotional Marketing

Another area experts are talking about is the oversaturation of digital marketing. This is resulting in blocked and unread emails and is causing a re-evaluation in their marketing initiatives. Promotional marketing is becoming more and more popular as a complimentary piece to their digital advertising campaigns. Using promotional marketing gives our clients the ability to become more targeted and increase response rates. According to some experts this is a trend that we can expect to accelerate.

Grateful For The Here And Now

For all of the businesses that are still holding on, I hope you are able to navigate into the future. For those who are thriving, I hope you continue to do so. Wherever you are in the here and now, there is much to be thankful for as we continue to put one foot in front of the other as we journey into the New Year! We at Gossett Marketing are here to help make that journey more productive and enjoyable. Give us a call and let’s work together to create promotional campaigns to help you attract and retain employees and keep your brand firmly and positively positioned in the minds and hearts of your customers.