Employee Activism & Workplace Stalemate

Two years of pandemic conditions have left an indelible mark on all of us individually and collectively. We are all changed and so are our expectations.This impact seems to have crystallised a range of ideas which have resulted in the Great Resignation / Re-shuffle. It actually doesn’t matter what you call it.

One month of quarantine would probably only have been a temporary glitch and we would have bounced back to business as usual. What is interesting when I work with teams about their experience of quarantine, despite the huge levels of stress, many actually look back wistfully on some of the benefits.

At its root the message is clear - what employees want is changing. It seems that if we are not already in a workplace stalemate we are coming close.

The C Word

I could tell as a coach even before COVID started that people’s priorities were starting to shift, but couldn't put my finger on it because it was so complex. Today there are acres of material expounding the views of every expert under the sun from McKinsey to Pete in the pub, and as you might imagine, even those with no expertise at all.

Are we any closer to finding answers? I'm not so sure.

The other point which is glaringly obvious and which should give us pause for thought is that COVID was the catalyst for change not the other Cs - CEO, CHRO, CTO or CMO. Many organisations are reacting to circumstances, not necessarily embracing them, so we are seeing a global tail-wagging-the-dog situation which is not a good look for leaders.

This is not a glitch

Here is where we are at. A Microsoft study surveyed 310000 employees in 31 countries and collated data from sources such as LinkedIn Trends and found the following:

• 47% of employees are more likely to put family and personal life over work.
• 53% are more likely to prioritize their health and well-being — that figure rises to 55% for parents and 56% for women.
• Millennials who now dominate the workforce are willing to vote with their feet. 52%?of Gen Z and Millennials are considering changing employers this year (up 3% year-over-year. )
• 18% of all respondents quit their job in the past 12 months, with well-being, mental health, work-life balance, and lack of flexible work hours cited as top reasons.

When asked what they wanted from a new employer, the report says "positive culture (46%), with well-being benefits (42%), a sense of purpose and meaning (40%), flexible hours (38%), and more than two weeks’ vacation time (35%)" This actually seems strange to Europeans.

What people want

This what we have to get our heads around. Work and careers are important but for reasons other than status and reward. We are binning the notion that career fulfillment comes from plotting a linear progression involving multiple sacrifices, which people are no longer willing to make.

Associated with that idea is anyone not pursuing that "dream" is somehow woefully inadequate. The digital nomads are now legends in their own lunchtimes. Corporate employees are becoming entrepreneurs.

We have also learned that people want to be recognised and heard. With Millennials now the predominant group in the workforce, they want to contribute, not clock in. They want to be assessed on the value they add, not the hours they spend physically and continuously in a place called work. They want employers who care about their well being.

The other C word

People want to be trusted, not managed and are looking for organisations which give a damn about important issues that impact their futures and those of their kids. The phrase employee activism is one we will definitely hear more frequently. Employers and brands are expected to care about socio-political issues: black lives matter, gender equity, LGBTQ rights and climate change. The days of any type of washing green, white or gender are coming to an end. Basecamp tried to turn that idea on its head in April 2021 and look how well that turned out.

More than ever recruiters and T.A need to be able to understand and articulate an organisation's culture to market it correctly. I saw a LinkedIn post that suggested that "culture" was only the latest buzz word. No. It is the only word and if recruiters and T.A. are not able to represent their employer brand effectively, together with their hiring managers, the problem will take even longer to solve.

The issue is how can you market a feeling?

Employee activism and leadership

Megan Reitz, Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Hult International Business School, has explored how organisations are dealing with employees who want to influence how their organisation's respond to wider socio-political issues. This activity and other expectations are upsetting the power apple cart.

Her observations noted in an MIT Sloan paper that "leaders fall into one of three stages around activist demands, she said: defensive engagement, dialogic engagement (where they concede that they don’t know the answers but start listening and sharing decision-making), and activist engagement."

Today's talent market

This new state of mind is of course reflected in the talent market. Many candidates wants flex hybrid, that is setting their own schedule when they come to the office. And flex doesn't mean 24/7 availability. Set against this sea-change of thinking there is a certain tone-deafness and some employers are mandating on-site work now the Pandemic seems to have become more manageable.

Others are making ominous threats to those who don't comply. We have heard the words "Careerland and Jobland" from Morgan Stanley CEO consigning those who don't continue to buy in to old school thinking to the career slow track. Women are very familiar with these treatment and threats.

Goldman Sachs, of a 100 hour week fame, demanded that employees return to the office and only 50% showed up. Companies have concerns that flexible schedules will impact business flow and collaboration, voiced by Morgan Stanley's around onboarding their 3000 strong graduate intake.

Those organisations which are offering hybrid work are finding there is some push back against fixed days and even candidates are only willing to work remotely. Employees think that they have been productive during the pandemic (80%) compared to business leaders who feel they haven't (54%) and therein lies the disconnect.

Lessons learned

At one end of the scale we have organisations such as Ben & Jerry’s who openly embrace engagement on wider social and political topics. Patagonia, also actively encourage their employees to be active in environmental issues.

However, we still continue to see crass and even illegal behaviour. P&O Ferries knowingly broke the law and laid off 800 workers and rehired agency personnel, some at 25% of the legal minimum wage. To touch their redundancy pay employees have to sign gag orders. The CEO of Better.com laid off 3000 staff via a recorded Zoom link. This is the second time this has happened in that organisation, so clearly the leadership need some remedial coaching. These are almost Dickensian in their brutality.

Pass the talent parcel

The recent hike in fuel prices means that the cost of getting to work has increased for everyone except those who can walk or cycle to work. Budgets and climate change now overlap. With inflation at record levels, salary demands are rising with many candidates seemingly willing to walk away and wait for the right opportunity. Some organisations are not offering salary rises in line with inflation which means that the only way anyone can get a pay rise at the right level is to look externally. I've written before about loving the ones you're with.

What we will see is this pass-the-parcel of employees as they switch between employers trying to find the right fit and compensation.

Lasting change

None of us are the same as we were in March 2020. Leaders need to navigate change quickly and not fall into old traps.

On a micro-level one of the things I did was to certify as an Ikigai coach to understand what is going for my clients and adapt my coaching programme to the needs of my specific market. Organisations need to do the same.

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