Employers vs Employees - Nobody is Winning

The magic employers are looking for is in the work they are avoiding.

Inside any organisation, there are two parallel realities. 1, what employers think employees want, 2, what employees actually want. These two parallels join occasionally but swiftly separate again, resulting in everything employers don't want. Disengagement, low productivity, high turnover etc.

There is a visible push and pull, and nobody is winning. The funny thing is that creating an environment where people are engaged (whatever that means), productive, and happy is relatively easy, as it has been proven by all the 4-day workweek trials, for example.

Why are employers so reluctant to do the necessary work to achieve what they want? It is ironic, really, if you pay attention to it. Employers say, "We want A.B.C.", to which employees reply, "Sure, we will give you if you give us A.B.C.". Sounds like a fair deal to me.

So, what do people want that employers find so challenging to provide that they rather sacrifice their goals of high engagement & productivity, well-being, and low turnover?

• Non-toxic work environment where people are not constantly on the edge. People want peace, clear expectations, and a well-organised work environment that is pleasant. For this, employers must address poor leadership, often by firing them. Do we want to do it?

• Autonomy over how employees get the job done. For this, employers must clearly define what performance looks like and what people need to achieve, so as long as the work is done, it doesn't matter where, how or when it got done. Are we comfortable giving up control?

• Eliminating the child vs parent relationship because people no longer want to be treated as children. For this, employers must create processes that are made for responsible adults. Childlike control over everything employees do, feel or think is the recipe for rebellion, which they call quiet quitting. It is not. It is a way employees communicate their unheard needs. Do we want to listen and treat them as adults?

• Understanding that for most employees, a job is a means to an end (to live/enjoy life outside of work). For this, employers must abandon the idea that everyone must be dedicated to the vision, mission, and purpose or find meaning in their jobs. Some people can find purpose in the most meaningless job, and some cannot even in the most meaningful job. People need to find meaning in living, not in their job. However, if a job happened to be a part of it, great! But we must not expect it as a pre-requisite for good performance because that is just simply not true. We need to stop brainwashing people that work must be meaningful. No, we must though enjoy our time at work so we can be productive and contribute to the company's goals. Can we accept this fact?

What is holding employers from achieving their goals of an ideal workforce is their mindset that they are unwilling to change. Instead of changing how they view things, they talk about creating unemployment and inflation to get employees to comply. I wonder if this is the leadership style or the values they are showcasing on their websites or to the public...........

If you are ready and willing to change your mind, we are here to help you build modern workplace practices so you can create the workforce you are dreaming about without creating mass unemployment.