Rethinking the work ecosystem : Employee motivation in the age of flexible work

There has been a fundamental shift in how we work and real estate strategies require adaptation. Accelerated moves to effective distributed work and team models offer opportunities to create value for organisations willing to embrace change. Successful strategies work by connecting in ways to help employees stay engaged, productive and effective, thereby improving talent recruitment and retention. But the most effective strategies go a step further by connecting people to an organisational culture through shared mindsets and behaviours. Taking that extra step begins with organisations identifying the specific mindsets and behaviours they will need to achieve their core business purpose (‘why we do what we do’), which is then supported by three people-centric elements: culture (‘how work gets done’), place (‘where work gets done’) and tools (‘what enables work’). In the age of hybrid work, this framework involves aligning strategies for talent systems and the work ecosystem to drive business outcomes through a people-centric lens. To foster a winning culture, business leaders must first understand employee incentives and motivation. The human behavioural aspect of the workplace should not be underestimated. When it comes to workplace interactions, psychology research makes it clear that leaders can maximise engagement and drive lasting performance when they help their team members meet one another’s needs. So, which needs should leaders focus on? At Jacobs, we looked to research from the NeuroLeadership Institute, in which co-founder and CEO David Rock’s team identified five domains in human social experience that drive behaviour. They include status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness and fairness. Collectively, these domains make up what is known as the SCARF® Model. Each domain can be a powerful motivator. In organisations where the work ecosystem is built around satisfying these SCARF domains, employees are more likely to stay engaged, remain loyal and contribute at peak performance. This paper illustrates human drivers and how they can be leveraged to develop a strategic path forward.