September 20, 2023
Employee engagement plays a crucial role in the success and growth of organizations. Vivek Mehta, co-founder and CEO of Weeve, a people transformation platform, understands the significance of fostering strong employee-leader relationships. With his experience as a technology consultant, he witnessed the detrimental effects of a growing disconnect between employees and leaders, leading to burnout, project failures, and high turnover rates.
William Tincup, HR Tech Investor, Advisor, and Founder of RecruiterDaily.com
I recently sat down to chat with Mehta about future of work trends as part of my research to produce Season 1 of The Lever with Drew Fortin. This show highlights how the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and Web3 will shift the paradigm of humans at work for the better. I wrote this article based on my notes and transcripts from the interview. You can also watch a video of my interview with Vivek Mehta, Co-founder & CEO of Weeve, below.
Employee Engagement Helps Strengthen Relationships at Scale
At Weeve, employee engagement is viewed as the sum total of the employee experience. It encompasses more than just the functional aspects of the job; it includes how employees interact within the organizational culture, their relationships with peers, and the performance management system they operate within. Mehta believes that true employee engagement goes beyond corporate jargon – it's about providing employees with a sense of belonging, purpose, and impact.
Research and industry experts support the importance of employee engagement in organizational success. Studies show engaged employees contribute to long-term employee retention and higher company success. Customers also benefit from engaged employees who are aligned with the company's mission and goals, leading to more on-brand customer interactions. Additionally, high levels of employee engagement promote talent retention, customer loyalty, and improved organizational performance and stakeholder value.
"I saw this growing disconnect between employees and leaders. It was leading to burnout, project failure, and turnover. It was from a combination of changing technologies, faster paces of work, changes in culture and loyalty, and ultimately, all of that adding up to this shift in leverage. And so it really begs the question, how do we build strong employee-leader relationships at scale?" - Vivek Mehta, Cofounder CEO of Weeve
Employee engagement has also been shown to have numerous benefits, including increased profitability, work quality, productivity, and the retention of top talent. Organizations with engaged employees experience a 10 percent increase in customer loyalty. Clearly, the impact of employee engagement extends far beyond the individual employee, positively affecting the organization's overall success.
Mehta's mission with Weeve is to bridge the gap between employees and leaders, empowering growth and success. By focusing on aligning talent and business strategies, leveraging technology, and engaging readers through rhetorical questions, statistical evidence, and direct address, Mehta aims to revolutionize employee engagement and build strong relationships at scale.
Redefining Work in the Modern Era: A Shift Towards Meaningful Projects
In the modern era, the concept of work is undergoing a profound transformation. Mehta recognizes the growing questioning of meaningful work. Traditionally, careers were associated with long-term employment in a single corporation. However, with the rise of globalization, managerial fads, and changing work dynamics, individuals now find themselves working with multiple enterprises over shorter periods. This shift towards fractional and freelance work allows individuals to focus more on the specific projects they undertake, divorcing the meaning of work from the physical location.
Mehta believes that the true meaning of work lies in the specific projects one engages in. While spending three years at an organization may seem substantial, if the majority of that time is spent on monotonous tasks, it diminishes the perceived meaningfulness. However, the work becomes more meaningful if an individual can experience the same level of engagement and fulfillment through three-month-long projects at multiple organizations within the same timeframe.
When asked about the possibility of building a business solely on fractional freelance workers, Mehta thinks it's possible but requires a cultural shift. Current management mindsets look at these workers as temporary and separate from the core workforce. He believes that in order to create successful majority or completely fractional businesses, organizations must foster a culture where all workers feel integrated, valued, and part of something meaningful regardless of employment duration.
"I think the meaning of work is starting to become divorced from the concept of where I am doing that work. And so when we look for meaning, I think it's going to be in the specific projects that we're picking up." - Vivek Mehta, CEO of Weeve
The traditional notion of being a "real employer" needs to adapt to this evolving landscape. As more individuals embrace project-based work, the value of an enterprise will be defined not just by its internal processes but also by the cultural contributions each worker brings. This shift empowers employees to shape the organizational culture based on their diverse experiences and backgrounds, creating a more dynamic and enriching work environment.
As society continues to redefine work, organizations must embrace this new paradigm, valuing projects and individuals' contributions rather than solely focusing on long-term employment. By doing so, they can tap into the potential of fractional work arrangements, harness the benefits of diverse perspectives, and foster a culture that celebrates meaningful projects and individual growth.
The Shifting Dynamics of At-Will Employment and The Future of Advocacy and Development
In the ever-evolving landscape of at-will employment, Mehta delved into the potential shifts in power and advocacy for employees. Workers seek alternative avenues for personal growth and security as the traditional belief in long-term employer investment diminishes. This raises important questions about who will become the new advocates for employees.
One key factor influencing this power shift is cultural change. Employees are increasingly skeptical about their employers' commitment to investing in their development. Consequently, workers are exploring options such as self-investment, freelancing platforms, and unions to find a sense of long-term investment and belonging.
"The power shift that we're seeing in the way that employees and employers interact is due to a multitude of factors, but it's largely cultural. We're seeing less belief from workers that their employers care about investing in that person. And so they're looking for other ways in which to find long-term investment in themselves." - Vivek Mehta, CEO of Weeve
Mehta believes that the responsibility of upskilling individuals lies with the government and society as a whole. By providing accessible and forward-looking development programs, societies can align the needs of future job markets with available opportunities. Simultaneously, individuals must also take personal responsibility for their own development, considering their aspirations beyond specific roles within a single company.
This two-way street approach democratizes development opportunities and encourages individuals to focus on personal growth rather than solely preparing for specific roles. Societally mandated programs and individual mindset shifts can work in tandem to empower employees and ensure they are equipped for the future of work.
AI Transforms Performance Management to Empower Individual Growth and Advocacy
Mehta recognizes the challenges faced by organizations in retaining employees and addressing their individual needs. The traditional top-down approach to employee engagement and performance management often falls short of identifying and resolving issues in a timely manner. This is primarily due to the inability of organizations to effectively understand and respond to the unique needs of each employee.
To drive longer retention and enhance performance, successful organizations focus on understanding the specific needs of individual employees. The key question is how quickly an organization can address and solve an employee's concerns. Unfortunately, in many cases, it takes about eighteen months to identify and respond to an employee's needs, leading to potential attrition.
"How long does it take from when an employee has a critical need to identify it, roll out a solution to it, and actually solve their problem? In a typical organization, that pipeline is about 1.5 to two years to understand and respond to an employee's need." - Vivek Mehta, CEO of Weeve
To overcome these challenges, Mehta believes in the power of AI. By leveraging technology, organizations can scale individual conversations and gain insights into each employee's unique experience. Weeve, for instance, automates the process of one-on-one conversations between leaders and employees, enabling CEOs to connect with every employee on a weekly basis. This automated approach allows leaders to understand evolving needs, support individual development, foster accountability, and drive behavior change.
The integration of AI into performance management transforms it from a periodic process into ongoing advocacy. With AI-driven platforms, organizations can track employee development over time, provide personalized learning opportunities, and ensure continuous support and engagement.
By embracing AI-powered performance management, organizations can empower individual growth, enhance employee advocacy, and create a culture of ongoing development and support.
Employee Profiles Are the Future of Performance Management
Mehta observes a significant transformation in the standardization of performance management across industries. Performance management is often seen as a top-down approach, focusing on interval-based Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that belong to the employer. However, with the rise of fractional and freelance workers and employees gaining more leverage, Mehta envisions a shift toward holistic employee profiles.
In this new paradigm, AI plays a crucial role as an always-available advocate for employees. Through ongoing interactions, AI can gather data beyond just KPI-based performance, capturing competencies, hard and soft skills, and growth over time. These comprehensive employee profiles will be continuously updated, following individuals throughout their careers. This impacts performance management, influences hiring practices, and how organizations identify suitable candidates.
The question arises about who will manage and own employee data as we move away from company silos. Mehta believes that relying on a third-party player to handle employee profiles would be counterproductive. Instead, he proposes embracing concepts like decentralization from Web3.0. Allowing employees to have unbiased profiles that transcend organizational boundaries distributes the value among individuals, reflecting the shifting leverage from employers to employees.
Scaling Human Intelligence and Expertise in the Age of AI
In the current narrative surrounding AI, there is a growing concern about the value of human intelligence, as critical thinking is seemingly outsourced to technology. However, Mehta challenges this flawed notion by emphasizing that the true value of AI lies in scaling human intelligence rather than replacing it.
Mehta argues that technologies like large language models, such as GPT, have limitations and are prone to errors and biases. Instead, the power of AI lies in its ability to amplify human intelligence on a larger scale. The focus should be on leveraging AI to unlock and disseminate expertise, allowing individuals to have access to specific knowledge and impact at scale.
To illustrate this concept, Mehta shared a case study involving a hospital system with a remarkable employee retention program led by an exceptional individual, Jane. Jane's program requires significant person-hours and personalized conversations with at-risk employees. Replicating her results in other hospitals would be nearly impossible without cloning Jane.
" I think we'll start to see value really shift into specific expertise rather than going into this direction of aggregate cumulative knowledge. We're going to have standout intelligence that we want everyone to be able to have access to." - Vivek Mehta, CEO of Weeve
However, with the help of AI, Mehta proposed the idea of scaling Jane's expertise. By automating and replicating the ongoing conversations, recommendations, and nudges that Jane provides, organizations can democratize access to her valuable insights. This allows Jane to reclaim her time and enables every employee to benefit from her specific intelligence. The focus shifts from aggregate cumulative knowledge to unlocking standout expertise that can be accessible to all.
By harnessing the power of technology, human intelligence can be amplified, giving individuals the ability to share their knowledge, experiences, and problem-solving approaches on a broader scale. This shift empowers organizations to tap into unique expertise, foster growth, and drive success in the age of AI.
What Competencies Will We Covet in the AI Era?
In a world increasingly influenced by AI, Mehta ponders the role of humans and the areas where their unique contributions will remain relevant. While technology continues to advance, Mehta maintains an optimistic perspective, believing that strategic and creative thinking cannot be fully replicated by machines.
Although AI can inspire and expedite the ideation process, Mehta emphasizes the importance of shifting from conceptualization to action. He envisions a resurgence of ideas taking center stage, where human-machine collaboration refines and crystallizes concepts into actionable plans. This amalgamation of human ingenuity and AI assistance enables ideas to progress beyond mere generation, fostering a greater focus on execution.
As technology plays an ever-expanding role, Mehta predicts the rise of new skills and competencies. Managing these tools effectively becomes paramount, leading to the emergence of roles like AI prompt writers who can harness the potential of AI systems. Moreover, Mehta believes that the future lies in anticipating the competencies that will be required years ahead. By investing in the development of these skills early on, individuals, organizations, and advocacy groups can adapt to the shifting dynamics of the employee-employer relationship and foster long-term success.
"Ultimately, I think we're going to shift from spending our time thinking about how things should be done into doing them." - Vivek Mehta CEO of Weeve
This paradigm shift prompts a reevaluation of skill pipelines. Instead of solely seeking specific hard skills, Mehta suggests that foresight and a broader perspective on competencies are crucial. Organizations must look beyond immediate needs and invest in developing the competencies that will be essential in the future. With employees becoming key stakeholders in shaping their career trajectories, they can also proactively invest in acquiring the necessary skills or rely on support from unions and freelancing platforms.
Embracing Human Potential and Redefining Self-Worth in a Changing Workplace
Mehta foresees that the rise of AI will primarily disrupt low-effort thinking tasks, such as mass-produced content farms generating low-quality SEO content. These are areas where automation can replace human work without compromising quality. However, he firmly believes that strategic and creative thinking will continue to thrive, warranting even greater investment.
As the power dynamics between employers and employees shift, Mehta predicts a significant emphasis on competency development rather than solely focusing on specific job roles. Recognizing the continuous abstracting of lower-level jobs, organizations must facilitate the rapid growth and learning of skilled workers in tandem with technological advancements. This necessitates a faster pace of learning to keep pace with evolving job requirements. When hiring someone today, it is essential to trust in their capacity for ongoing development, knowing that their responsibilities may evolve drastically within a year or two.
The concept of human worth at work will undergo profound contemplation in the coming decades. Mehta observes that the traditional societal positioning and financial contributions that currently define our value may diminish as the nature of work transforms. Instead, he anticipates a cultural shift towards assessing one's worth based on the impact they have and how their efforts benefit others. This transition will gradually redefine self-worth from a transactional perspective to a more intrinsic measure.
AI-Powered Competency Development will Cause Culture Shifts
Mehta envisions a future where the impact of AI on our society unfolds gradually over several decades. Acknowledging the current opening of doors to new possibilities, he emphasizes the urgency of proactively creating spaces before they get co-opted by legacy thinking. Mehta believes that now is the time to build new foundations for career development, challenging the entrenched systems that have traditionally owned talent development.
One exciting trend that Mehta identifies is the potential for AI to become our advocate. While there is a prevailing narrative of AI as a means to offload our thinking, Mehta encourages viewing AI solutions as resources and support outside the context of biased powers. He emphasized the need to harness these technologies to create unbiased, empowering tools that amplify human capabilities.
"I think the way that we need to be thinking about these solutions is more of how can we create resources and support for ourselves that are going to be outside of the context of biased powers. And that's really the shift where the door just started to open and it's up to us to walk through." - Vivek Mehta, CEO of Weeve
Mehta wrapped up our time together, addressing the concept of time to value and the evolving nature of human and technology interactions. Drawing from the example of health provider call centers, he highlighted the complex challenges that arise when explaining insurance benefits to members. While AI chatbots can provide quick solutions for certain issues, Mehta argues that true competency development is essential for addressing more complex problems that require human expertise. By leveraging AI to handle low-hanging fruit and simultaneously focusing on developing human competence over a period of time, organizations can accelerate speed to value while empowering individuals to become more capable in their roles.
Want to hear more from Vivek Mehta, CEO of Weeve?
- Catch Vivek in episodes 3, 4, and 6 of Season 1 of The Lever with Drew Fortin
- Watch my full-length interview with Vivek Mehta, CEO of Weeve, on YouTube
- Follow Vivek Mehta on LinkedIn