Employee dedication in the workplace is constantly increasing. Some have speculated that this may be due to work incentives or promotions. However, it seems there is a new trend that is effecting the workplace. FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out, has the potential to be an advantage in the workplace, as it constantly keeps your employees engaged without having to expend extra effort. The challenge is determining how to use FOMO as a catalyst to boost productivity and engagement, without creating an inefficient or distracted culture.
Why Are We Experiencing FOMO?
According to a study completed by Indeed.com, most employees seem to experience FOMO due to the atmosphere they work in. Specifically, approximately 45% of respondents claimed to miss either the work aspect or their team members when they were out of the office. Although incentives are a nice way to keep your employees around, we are seeing that the culture produced within an organization produces a larger impact.
Should We Avoid FOMO?
FOMO can act as both a productive resource for an organization, as well as a negative one. FOMO could potentially lead to employees becoming too distracted on projects that their coworkers are involved in, instead of focusing on their own priorities. It could also lead some employees to wish they were part of a different department, causing them to feel disengaged in their current position. If FOMO is producing inefficient employees, it may be time to address the issue. Completing performance appraisals and executing on Talent Management strategies can help your organization find the right balance and avoid the pitfalls of FOMO.
FOMO as an Engagement Tool
FOMO helps make employees feel engaged, which also allows it to act as a tool to increase employee productivity. Deloitte suggests simple strategies such as limiting team emails and communications, instead of inundating inboxes and overwhelming employees. This could drive employees to pay more attention to the messaging. No one wants to be left out of the loop, and if there are fewer opportunities to be kept in the loop, employees will take advantage of them. This isn’t to say you should be neglecting your employees, but there will be a noticeable difference in the responses from your employees if this strategy is performed correctly.
FOMO is inevitable in almost every organization. The best thing your organization can do is to make sure that FOMO is being utilized as a resource, and not causing a problem. Employee engagement is critical to productivity. So, make sure you can keep the momentum going by using social incentives to keep your employees motivated.
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