Culture Shock: An unstoppable force is changing how we work and live. Gallup's solution to the biggest leadership issue of our time.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an awakening that shocked the world — a structural change in how and where people work and live. One thing we now know for certain: Nothing is going back to normal.

How organizations adapt to this culture shock will determine whether they thrive or even survive and whether U.S. and global productivity will go up or down.

The immediate danger is that most employees will now operate more like independent contractors or gig workers than employees who are loyal and committed to your organization. The risk grows as your workforce’s mentality continues to shift from my life at work to my life at home. It may become nearly impossible to create a culture of committed team members and powerful relationships at work.

Leaders continue to wrestle with the issue of how to bring employees back to the office. But the far greater issue is deteriorating customer relationships, which is already happening. Simply put, your employees and your customers know each other. Many are best friends. How will you maintain your customers’ commitment when you’re struggling to create a culture of dedicated employees who build and strengthen relationships with those customers?

It’s clear now that an unstoppable force has changed how we work and live. Culture Shock offers a solution that outlines a better world of work and life — one with far higher productivity, greater customer retention and better wellbeing. It’s Gallup’s solution to the biggest leadership issue of our time.

Jim Clifton is Chairman of Gallup and bestselling author of Born to Build, The Coming Jobs War, Wellbeing at Work and the #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller It’s the Manager. He is the creator of The Gallup Path, a metric-based economic model that shows the role human nature plays in business outcomes. This model is used in performance management systems in more than 500 companies worldwide. His most recent innovation, the Gallup World Poll, is designed to give the world’s 7 billion citizens a voice on virtually all key global issues. Under his leadership, Gallup has expanded from a predominantly U.S.-based company to a worldwide organization with 40 offices in 30 countries and regions.

Jim Harter, Ph.D., is Chief Scientist, Workplace for Gallup and bestselling coauthor of Culture Shock, Wellbeing at Work, It’s the Manager, 12: The Elements of Great Managing and Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements. His research is also featured in the groundbreaking New York Times bestseller, First, Break All the Rules. Dr. Harter has led more than 1,000 studies of workplace effectiveness, including the largest ongoing meta-analysis of human potential and business unit performance. His work has also appeared in many publications, including Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, and in many prominent academic journals.