End Of An Era & Office Romance
5 in 5 - Brave & Heart HeartBeat #167 ❤️
This week we’re bringing you a work special because, drumroll….. The Great Resignation™ is over. Apparently.
We’ll be dissecting why the experts are calling this the end of an era, and why it won’t make things easier for employers… Hint, Gen Z have something to do with it. As one era ends, another begins…
We’ll also be looking at remote work vs. the sneaky ways employees try to get people to work more, the importance of being an inclusive leader, and the psychology behind office romance.
Let's get into it.
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#1 - The End Of An Era
The Great Resignation, which hit it’s peak through 2021-2022, saw almost a hundred million employees quit their jobs in the US alone. And now, according to the latest data from the US labour bureau, it’s over.
The numbers from May this year show that the overall resignation numbers have gone back to 2019 levels (oh, what an innocent time) and there are a few reasons being given.
For one thing, the economy is in the pits. Mortgage rates have gone completely mental, the cost of living crisis has its own nickname (the cozzy livs, according to TikTok) and so people are looking at their jobs and thinking maybe now’s not the best time to quit.
Another factor is that the phenomenon that went along with the Great Resignation, coined the Great Reshuffle, saw people moving from one sector into another, more desirable sector, as the reality of work changed. I.e. they went from working in retail to working at a call centre from home. These are one-time moves though, these cases aren’t hopping about much, so they’re off the quit list.
The most interesting reason given, is that perhaps our jobs have simply got better. For one thing, the way we work has changed since the pandemic – work has had to become more flexible. Additionally, in the face of a trend like the Great Resignation, Employers have had no choice but to remedy issues that were leading to high turnover.
Some companies have taken a look at their company culture, begun to take employee wellbeing more seriously and put much more effort into fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment.
All great news, and apparently work satisfaction levels are the highest they’ve been in four decades. However, trends are cyclical, and we have to work hard to ensure that employers don’t get complacent in the future. Don’t worry though, Gen Z are here to sort it out…
#2 - Gen Z Vs. The World
Now, while the positive changes made by companies as mentioned above may have gone “above and beyond” for a workplace filled with Millennials and Gen X (with some boomers still hanging in there) for the new generation entering the workforce, it’s the least they could do.
Gen Z, kindly referred to as a “different species” by recruiting experts (we’re sure they’ll love that) are defined as people born between 1997 and 2012, and they’re coming for your shoddy company culture and your work-life imbalance.
In comparison to the rest of the office, they’re more diverse, tolerant, educated and socially committed, and making up a quarter of the population they have the potential to transform the industries they’re entering.
This is already being seen in the advertising agency, where Gen Z aren’t thrilled with pitching culture, seeing it as part of the cult of overwork, rather than an “opportunity” to show what they can do. And some agencies are listening, with Mother, a London creative company, encouraging clients to take part in “chemistry meetings” rather than the traditional pitching process.
The new generation of the workforce want to work differently, but also for different reasons. They want meaningful work with a sense of autonomy, flexibility and work-life balance, and they’re not afraid to ask for it, or refuse jobs that don’t provide that.
A San Diego graduate currently working in retail while looking for a job in his field sums it up with this one sentence - “I’m not interested in sacrificing 30 years of my life for a handshake and a golden watch.”
He doesn’t have the monetary motivation of getting rich, as having grown up through many economic ups and downs, and a context of questioning capitalism and a lifestyle of consumption, saying that he wants to be “able to afford some things” but not to be “attached to the material grind.
Maybe they’re the generation that can’t be bought? This means that company culture and company values, along with organisations treatment of their community and the way they value their employees and suppliers will have to change to keep up with them.
I Don’t Think You’re Ready For This Gene(ration) (To The Tune Of Beyonce)
#3 - Work From Home Rebellion
With over 155,000 Canadian civil servants striking for the right to work from home, the fight between workers and employees over demands they return to the office is still going.
As power has swung back to employers with the winding down of the Great Resignation and a current economic downturn, big employers like Disney, and Starbucks (and Twitter, but that’s more due to a change in leadership, cough cough) have taken the opportunity to attempt a forced return to the office. But, as it turns out, people aren’t going to take it lying down.
The “why” in all of this isn’t necessarily because of any proven benefit to working from the office, but because of the way many employers define remote, or flexible working – as a perk. Much like free lunches, bonuses and discounts, remote work is simply a benefit that they can roll back in times of economic hardship.
The current strikes and backlash to return to office programmes shows that in reality, remote work goes deeper than that.
Research shows that over 80% of employees who are remote or hybrid are satisfied with their benefits, compared to only 60% of office only workers, and it’s been suggested that this satisfaction is because they’re easier to please, as they know that a remote workplace reflects values deeper than just skipping the commute.
It reflects the trust of your employer and the flexibility to create a better work-life balance. It also reflects a more modern mindset, allowing the company to pull talent from areas other than metropolitan or business hubs. Employees from more diverse backgrounds and experiences can come together without having to live in a bedsit in London that costs twice their wages, for example.
As the current backlash towards remote work from companies shows, leaders feel safe rolling back remote work policies when workers are concerned about job security. However, they should consider what they’re missing out on.
Without a commitment to remote or hybrid work as a business decision, these companies will get stuck in the bargaining cycle, and by the time the power comes back around to employees, they’ll be left behind.
#4 - Sneaky Benefits
Peter Thiel, Paypal co-founder and first outside investor in Facebook, reportedly offered employees a $1000 bonus if they lived near to the office.
This was apparently a ploy to ensure that workers worked longer hours, but it’s even more insidious than that, if the book written about Thiel by one of his collaborators it to be believed.
Apparently, not only was the bonus a way to keep employees in the office for longer, and a way to ensure they were nearby if an impromptu meeting was called on the weekends, if everyone lived in the same neighbourhood they would all be going to the same bars and cafes outside of work hours – giving them more time to talk about, you guessed it, work.
Meta had a similar trick up their sleeve, apparently paying at least $10,000 to staff if they lived within ten miles of the Silicon Valley HQ, and offering employees with families one-time payments of at least $15,000 for housing costs.
While some are bringing back relocation benefit schemes to get people more interested in coming into the office after remote working has become the preferred norm, with some paying tens of thousands to help relocate staff, others are taking a more hardliner approach. For example, law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell, whotold employees that bonuses could be cut if they're not in the office three days a week.
Treating your employees like people, however, might be a good start. If your business runs better when people collaborate in person, communicate that to staff – perhaps suggesting in-person meetings or collaboration days to keep face-time up to a minimum.
If it isn’t a question of better running the business, but more a question of manipulating staff to work longer hours or wanting them where leadership can see them – that might be part of a bigger problem, and it makes sense that they might want to stay as far away from the office as possible…
#5 - Being An Inclusive Leader
One of the key ways in which workplaces can change for the better in their quest to appeal to the new workforce is by ensuring their company is inclusive and diverse, however, there’s more to it than recruitment.
While research shows that inclusiveness in teams directly enhances performance, recruiting diverse people here and there and then just leaving them to their own devices won’t cut it.
In interviews with Gen Zers entering the workplace, one respondent noted that she had left her first workplace as she didn’t want to be “the only black person” in her team, and she didn’t feel “safe” in the environment to bring up any changes she thought should be made in terms of inclusion and diversity.
The key is inclusive leadership, which assures that all team members feel treated respectfully and fairly, have a feeling of value and belonging, and are confident and inspired.
According to the Harvard Business Review, the following are traits of inclusive leaders
- Humility
- Awareness of bias
- Curiosity about others
- Cultural Intelligence
- Effective collaboration
In addition, inclusive leadership isn’t about grand gestures, it’s based on the everyday – regular, small-scale comments and actions which make employees feel safe, respected and valued.
Examples of this given by employees are a leader who openly asks their staff for help when they don’t know the answer, is open to learning about cultural differences such as customs or terminology, and acknowledges team members as individuals – remembering who they are and the work they do.
Leaders can strive towards these behaviours, but they also have to ensure that they’re taking stock of how successful they are in them. For example, notice if a more diverse range of people opening up to you with their opinions, and seek out feedback on your leadership.
Nobody will be able to get inclusive leadership completely right on the first go, but only those who question themselves and look at how their leadership can be more inclusive will be able to follow the right path to get results.
Brave & Heart over and out.
Bonus
Office Romance Science
While we’re on the subject of work, there is a scientific reason why you might end up falling in love, or at least crushing on, your coworkers.
Firstly, of course, you spend a lot of time together. It takes 200 hours to become “best friends” with someone, and if you’re spending eight of them at work, i.e. MOST of the hours of your life, you’re going to get to know people. And from friends to lovers, there is but a small step.
Another, less fun reason, is the psychological factors that push people to crush on unavailable partners can lead to unrequited workplace love for colleagues who are, quite often, already with someone else outside of work.
To find out more on how you can retain your top talent, or how we can help you with digital solutions to your business and marketing challenges, check out our case studies.