If there’s one thing humans are good at, it’s building things that do what they are supposed to do. From cars to engines, phones, and computers, we’ve been doing it throughout time—we design things, and those items do what they are intended to do.
The same is true for the organizations we design and build. We’re the ones who have created these systems, yet we get mad or surprised when they do exactly what we designed them to do.
Work is a team sport that relies on multiple people and groups coming together to achieve something. These teams can either be formally structured or be created on as as-needed basis. Sometimes these teams comprise individuals in the same geographic location, but in today’s globally distributed and connected world, it’s far more likely that these teams are spread out all over the world.
It’s no surprise that having a sense of purpose is a huge part of building culture. A sense of purpose helps employees feel connected to the organization and helps the organization make sure employees are doing their best work because they want to, not because they need to. But is this sense of purpose something the organization has to provide, or is it something that employees have to bring with them? The answer is both.
Imagine being part of an organization where you don’t feel valued. How would you feel when you show up to work, and more important, would you even want to show up for work? Spending time in these organizations can cause employees to hate their employers. Typically, feeling appreciated is more relevant to a specific project or tasks, and feeling valued is the overall and ongoing feeling that employees have. So, if you feel regularly appreciated, then you will in turn feel valued.
Out of all the employees and business leaders whom I have interviewed over the years, the vast majority of them have always told me that culture is what they care about most. Unlike the physical and technological environments, cultural environment isn’t something that you can see, taste, touch, or breath in.
You’ve likely heard things like this during a job interview, or maybe you’ve even said them yourself to a potential new employee. But are the statements actually true? At some companies they are, but for the most part, these statements are part of the lies we’ve collectively been telling ourselves and everyone around us. When these new employees actually start, they realize how untrue the statements were in the hiring process. Instead of an open office, they find red tape, bureaucracy, and partitions. Managers are hard to communicate with, and the other employees are disengaged and stand off-ish. It leads to a negative work environment and unhappy employees. After all, no one likes to be told one thing only to realize that it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Imagine working for a place that had unlimited free food, free rides to and from work, unlimited tech support, innovation labs, long maternity leave, the ability to bring your dog to work, and much more. Almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? But believe it or not, that’s everyday life for employees of Google. Many other companies, like Netflix, Amazon, and Facebook, are also known for their amazing work environment and employee perks. It can be tempting for other companies to want to follow in their footsteps and do everything like Google and these other companies. But copying a company like Google or Facebook can actually hurt your company’s culture and employee experience.
There’s a lot of talk about the future of work relating to employee satisfaction and finding jobs that have meaning and purpose. But even the happiest employees can’t ignore one of the biggest reasons to work: money. Like many other things in the workplace, wages and paychecks are changing for the future, and almost every employee could be affected. According to Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Mishel, an economist and president of The Economic Policy Institute, here are three things that could affect wages in the future.
Just like everything else in our modern workplace, the way we attract and retain top talent is changing. Instead of being recruited straight out of college and being put on a path up the corporate ladder, employees now have much more flexibility and choice in their careers, which means organizations have to adapt their approach to finding and keeping great workers. At the top of the talent game is Deloitte, the world’s largest professional services organization, and its Chief Talent Officer, Mike Preston. […]
There’s no doubt that work is changing–how we do it, where we do it, and what we do is different now than it was just a decade ago. In order to attract the best employees and stay current with trends and technology, organizations need to understand the evolution of work and adjust their own practices accordingly. Here are just a few of the ways that work is changing. […]