Work sucks! So now what?
How today's work environment is causing stress, burnout, apathy & disconnectedness amongst masses.
Welcome to Future of Work, Future of You. I bring insightful content on the accelerating trends for a next generation workplace. My sincere apologies for missing few issues but I promise to stick to a weekly cadence here onwards. Today, I want to talk about how post-pandemic work is impacting each one of us adversely. Somewhere deep within, we all realize that our work is stressful & is burning us out & yet we do nothing about it. Let us do something about it. Read on.
Time & again, great resignation has thrown up scary statistics on how employees hate their managers & feel no appreciation or empathy from their teams. 58% of employees trust an uber driver more than their managers. But times are changing.
As an employee, you are the new customer for your organization. Employers would do well to listen, act & improve on every piece of feedback you provide as you consume their brand, culture & benefits in day-to-day work. More than you, it’s their job to know what keeps you insanely happy & productive.
Why?
Because talent quality & efficiency have never been more critical in recent human history.
Ehh…Sounds like a dream?
Welcome to the future of work!
So how do you know if the work you do is built for the future or it’s still chained to the past?
Here we discuss four key attributes that can help teams assess if they are on the right path to future-proof their workplace.
1. Performance:
Is there a rockstar engineer who ships code in 48 hours? A sales rep who crushes their quota quarter on quarter ? A Marketing manager who has turned your company website into a lead churning machine?
Or a kickass recruiter who seems to eat into your hiring pipeline? Performance speaks for itself & matters more than ever. If you consistently see such people thrive at your company, chances are it is built on meritocracy & you should stick around.
2. Productivity:
9-5 workplace is dead. RIP. Future of work will belong to professionals who pack incredible work in a short time & crank out deliverables at lightning speed. They are so good that organizations have a hard time catching up with them & can’t seem to create enough work to keep them busy. Side gigs / freelancing / contract assignments will become the norm. Workplaces that operate at the bleeding edge will allow these as they will realize that diverse work challenges & consistently productive work environments may not always happen within their walls. They will encourage their employees to take on versatile projects & hone their skills to the employer’s benefit. Loyalty & longevity at workplace will become second-class citizens. Productivity & impact will instead become first-class citizens.
3. Connectedness:
Collaboration as a skill set will be replaced by connectedness defined as the sum total of collaboration, influence & empathy.
Workplace 1.0 in the mid 20th century was dominated by “coordination” where teams focused on working with each other to exchange tasks, drive accountability & deliver results.
Workplace 2.0 in late 1990s& early 2000 was guided by “collaboration” where teams emphasized brainstorming, group ideation, cross-learning & collective success.
Workplace 3.0 will be all about “connectedness” built on a sense of purpose, community, positive impact & empathy.
4. Trust:
How do you define trust? How do you spot when you see one?
There is no magic formula but think of trust as that invisible bond or a safety net. It’s a faith bank where you keep depositing “above & beyond” gestures till it matures into a trust bond!
Defending your team member in a tough meeting. Fighting hard for a tad bit higher raise. Getting them the dream project. Checking on them when their personal life is in flux. Pushing them hard against their own will. Sounds like you?
Building trust is hard but returns are massive & compounding.
Future of work is not about remote work, flexible office hours, infinite PTO policies & lunch reimbursements. Yes these are amazing indications of an organization that cares for its employees. But sustainable organizations serious about the future of work will build radically transparent & connected teams. Employees need to thrive, enjoy & cherish the workplace community so they deliver incredible business & people outcomes & build enduring products & brands.
Feel inspired to share your horror work experience? Just like mine, your story may inspire others to survive & thrive in tough times. Drop in a comment below & let me know what bothers you most when at work.
If you have a leader, manager, co-worker or a friend who you think will benefit from this article, pls share this with them. As leaders, dreamers and entrepreneurs, we all need to become future ready to engage & connect with our teams the right way.
Reach me at Tejaswi Gautam and let me know what you think about this issue. Are you ready for the future of work? See you next week!