Would you take a pay cut right now?

For most American workers, the answer is a firm “nope.” But dig a little deeper, and the story gets more interesting.

According to LinkedIn’s latest Workforce Confidence Survey, more than four in 10 job seekers say they would consider a salary reduction IF it meant better alignment with their values, more room to grow, or increased flexibility.

In other words, money isn’t everything.

Remote and hybrid work are the new normal. Recent studies indicate that UK workers, for instance, average 1.8 remote workdays per week, surpassing the global average of 1.3 days. In the U.S., similar patterns emerge, with a significant portion of the workforce embracing flexible work arrangements. (The Guardian)

However, this shift brings its own set of challenges. A survey revealed that 25% of remote employees experience daily loneliness, compared to 16% of fully onsite employees. Moreover, remote workers are 98% more likely to report severe work loneliness than their in-office counterparts, according to Ringover's 2024 Loneliness at Work survey.

So, how can leaders ensure their remote and hybrid teams remain cohesive and engaged?

In a Cohesion Culture™, every team member must feel a sense of belonging, value, and mutual commitment.

BUT that doesn’t mean standing still.

Adapting to emerging technologies like AI is now part of being truly “included”. Because no one gets left behind when everyone is learning forward.

Recently, the CEO of Shopify, Tobias Lütke, shared how Artificial Intelligence is changing the way they work. Lütke has set the expectation that every single person at Shopify, including leadership, must embrace AI deeply and immediately. He laid down a clear, no-nonsense challenge for every person in every position: AI is no longer optional. It's a core skill. Learn it. Use it. Share it.

As essential as knowing how to send an email is to holding a job at Shopify, you must equally be able to utilize emerging AI technologies.

Toxicity in the workplace is like an invisible weight dragging down morale, productivity, and retention.

Many employees find themselves working in environments where toxic behaviors thrive, unsure of how to navigate or challenge them.

So, I asked C.A.R.L., the Cohesive Artificial Responder Leader, for insight on handling toxicity effectively.

Here’s what C.A.R.L. had to say:

"Handling toxicity in the workplace involves creating a work environment that fosters cohesion and removes the toxicity that can strangle performance and cause people to leave an organization. Here are some strategies based on the book Becoming a Cohesive Leader:"

👉 22% of workers blame toxic cultures for work stress.

👉 25% of employees have experienced some form of harassment in the workplace over the last year.

👉 Toxicity contributes 10.4 times more than other factors leading to increased employee turnover.

Infusing cohesion into a work culture is one proven method to reducing toxicity and retaining employees. With the presence of cohesion, employees feel a greater sense of belonging and inclusion. Creating an inclusive environment is extremely important as it's the number one reason a person leaves employment aside from promotion or life events. The importance of the supervisor-employee role cannot be overstated, as the supervisor makes or breaks the belonging cycle that involves inclusion.

"Culture is more than just building products and not getting yelled at."

Jason Aten, Tech Columnist for Inc. Magazine, recently wrote about the main issue within Google's culture. His headline catching article is subtitled: "There's nothing more important than culture."

Without even realizing it, the writer is building a strong case for the importance of infusing cohesion into a work culture. Cohesion positively impacts performance and engagement every time. It is a causal phenomenon and a proven method of predicting behavior.

Culture is broken when people do not feel connected to what they are doing, or with whom they are working.

Make it a strategy

Oftentimes, leaders fail to respond to the periphery until it is in plain sight. For the past several decades, it would be hard to consider “culture” being a sidelined conversation. YET, the attention to changing the toxicity of the work culture has only come into its own in the last several years.