There can be harmony
Employers and employees can both win in the new landscape of work. Most of the stories I see on a daily basis address, this topic as a standoff and I simply don't see it that way. As someone who has worked in the hiring space for over a decade as both a strategist, teaching others how to hire effectively, and practitioner hiring my own teams over the years, my perspective is more of a complete picture of today's way of work. Both sides of the topic are finding their way through a very challenging time in humanity. Employers need employees to effectively run their businesses and for the majority of working people, we depend on traditional employment to sustain our families. Keeping that fact in focus makes the conversation less contrarian and opens the discussion to finding areas of compromise. The ultimate goal is to achieve harmony and it is possible. There are companies who are leading the way in demonstrating how. Which company is doing it the best depends on what is most important to you as an individual.
Finding harmony or compromise is a delicate dance, but leading with an employee centered work model is the foundation of successful and sustainable business practices. Happy and fulfilled employees provide exceptional service to customers. Happy customers spend money, but there's no additional contribution to the success of the business from there. Investing in employees provides double the return for any business. The customer centered approach that US businesses have adopted is not beneficial to the overall success of a business and the extreme misbehavior of people throughout the pandemic has shed light on this fact. Eventually employees will reach a breaking point and no longer tolerate the disrespect of customers and the excuses companies make for those customers' behavior. Using an employee centered work model means truly listening to employees and supporting them and their decision making. This requires trust, which inevitably means that businesses need to be wiser in their hiring approach. When your company values are clear and your expectations are properly communicated, finding the right employees to represent your business becomes much easier.
Talk to your employees and understand what they truly want instead of assuming. Often employers spend time and effort making changes that give the appearance of progress and are disappointed when those changes do not generate the level of gratitude expected from employees. Those employers are skipping the most important step in communication, which is listening. Taking the time to listen to your workforce may uncover that what employees are asking for require little to no monetary investment. In fact, as I have seen over the years, employees don't expect much from their employers that cannot be easily delivered if the employer is willing to compromise and especially if the company has an employee centered business model. As an employee, get comfortable with asking for what you want from your employer. Using your voice to advocate for yourself may be the difference between finding harmonious employment and constantly searching for it. Having open and honest dialogue from both sides will aid in finding compromise much faster. Keeping those conversations going will help the business evolve while employees thrive.
Trust is free and most employers are hesitant to extend trust to every employee, no matter their job level. This actually points back to poor hiring practices. It's a key indication that the employer does not trust the decision making of hiring managers. That's a great place to start for companies. Figure out where the hiring process needs work or is completely broken and support hiring teams with proper training, so they are equipped to make smart hiring decisions that are the least influenced by bias as possible. Once a company has established trust in their hiring process, it's easier to trust the decision making of your employees. A work environment that prioritizes trust is much more efficient and resilient in the face of change. When faced with major shifts in the way of work, like the decentralized work model that will undoubtedly be the norm for the foreseeable future, companies that have established trust with their employees will fare the best. Trust must also be present for the employee. Having confidence that your employer will be transparent when there are challenges that may impact your way of work, is critical when considering where to grow your career and invest your talent.
There can certainly be harmony. It will require more transparency, communication, and trust. In the coming years, it will be very clear which companies chose to center their employees and which chose to center customers and anticipated profits.
*Written on a sunny morning with a kombucha to fuel the writing.