Genomics @Work

In 2003, researchers in the Human Genome Project sequenced all 3.2 billion base pairs of DNA, completing the genetic blueprint of a human.? Why invest 13 years and over $3B to locate the approximately 100,000 genes that contain the instructions for creating a human being?? Because of the promise of personalized medicine, which uses an individual’s genetic profile to customize decisions surrounding the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease.? It makes me wonder… could we do something similar in the workplace regarding the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of employee turnover??

According to recent Gallup surveys, employees in the U.S. continue to feel more detached from their employers, with less clear expectations, lower levels of satisfaction with their organization, and less connection to its mission or purpose than they did four years ago. They are also less likely to feel someone at work cares about them as a person.? In fact, last year a dismal 33% of employees were actually “engaged”.? All of this despite the fact that employers have lavished more money, enhanced benefits, flexible work arrangements, career development plans and recognition programs on their people.? Why such pitiful outcomes?? I believe it is related to one-size-fits-all corporate strategies.?

Organizations are structured to ensure standardization, consistency and compliance.? They frequently need to scale to accommodate thousands of employees, resulting in rigid policies and procedures that limit opportunities and experiences in the workplace.? But what if they weren’t? What if every experience you had at work was customized just for you?? What if your job was created just for you instead of you trying to fit into a job description that was written in 1985 by someone who had never even done it? ?What if your manager actually knew what motivated you and how you prefer to work?

In today’s digitized world, we already possess all of the data we need to sequence individual attributes and create bespoke experiences for each human in our organization.? We know our employee's background, education, experience and skills… we know their behavioral characteristics, personality traits and work preferences.? We can use this information to align people with roles that they were born to do, to proactively tailor their treatment throughout their career journey and to inform their supervisors so that each interaction is adapted to meet their unique needs.?

A great deal needs to be done before genomic medicine becomes mainstream and we all have personalized diets, exercise plans and medications.? But personalized employment could come much faster.? Remember that equality means everyone is treated the same exact way regardless of differences, while equity means everyone is provided with what they need to succeed. By embracing the concept of genomics at work, each individual in your organization could be operating at their full potential.?