Labor Day Scaries ??

Hi Friends,

“How was your Labor Day?" How many times have you heard that question already today? Other than a Monday off work (if you’re currently working/ have a traditional schedule) or a big sale, have you ever thought much about what this holiday means?

If you’re like me - someone who often mixes up Labor Day and Memorial Day - Labor Day is more a seasonal milestone - the end of summer, the start of school, and, when, if you follow the ‘fashion rules’, you should stop wearing white. (I do NOT subscribe to that rule).

I knew vaguely that Labor Day recognized American workers but unlike Memorial Day, an apparent celebration of our veterans and their service lush with parades and tributes, the history and how we ought to recognize Labor Day was never much of an educational priority for me. Until this year. When I find myself running a full-time career success business and the labor market, career paths, definition of success and trends in the workplace are now part of my everyday.

So if you’re curious about the history of Labor Day and what I believe it means in the year 2023, my solution for advocacy in today’s job market & how you can help, and how you translate your desires for a workplace into everyday actions - read on and let’s dig in…

Clarify ??

In the US, Labor Day celebrates workers and their achievements - sounds nice, right? A lot of us work hard and that work now is facilitated by amazing technology so, I imagine in the past American workers put in a lot of time and energy to building the country to where it is today. Although it’s logical to recognize that work - I wondered what prompted the creation of a national holiday -when only 11 federal holidays exist today.

I found that the origin of this holiday goes back to the late 1800s at the height of the Industrial Revolution, when the average American worked 12-hour days every day of the week to provide a basic living and children as young as 5 worked in factories and mines, earning a fraction of adult’s wages, if any.

President Gover Cleveland signed Labor Day as a legal federal holiday into law in 1894 in response to massive unrest among American workers and the beginning of unionization movements.

129 years later and although I think most of us agree that we appreciate this federal holiday, it’s not exactly reparations for toxicity in workplaces that I see that span industries and geographies. I’d prefer not to politicize this newsletter and won’t delve deep now into the debate over how much the government should intercede in workplace standards but I think most can agree that in a lot of ways, American’s relationship with work and our workplace standards are failing us - from parental leave to fair pay and everything in between.

So - what can we do to celebrate Labor Day and advocate for ourselves as workers?

First - we can gain clarity on what we expect, what we prefer and what we will not tolerate in a workplace.

For those that have talked 1-1 with me (53 and counting this summer), you know I call this your ‘role clarity criteria’ but it goes beyond just the role - it’s the role and the environment in which you work broken down by your ‘must haves’, ‘nice-to-haves’ and ‘red flags’.

In these ~53 conversations this summer, it’s been interesting to see that despite level of experience (from recent grad to C-suite), industry (from education to AI technology) and type of role (technical to people-focused), we all want relatively the same thing in work:

In general, we require: (our must haves)

• fair pay relative to role & industry and that it’s the same as counterparts
• flexibility - for some that’s fully remote or hybrid, for others, it’s just being given some space to adjust their schedule when life comes up
• room to grow - investment in learning & development and a place where they can advance their career

We like (our nice-to-haves):

• fair paternal leave (in my opinion this should be a must have but the reality of how rare this is in the workplace pushes it as a nice to have on most lists)
• health insurance
• time off

We will not tolerate (our red flags):

• micromanagement (every single person I’ve spoken to has said this - telling for how widespread poor management is in our workforce)
• harassment
• no room to move up in the company

So take some time and define for yourself your role clarity criteria.

The exercise is better done with a partner and I’d be happy to be yours, just book some time with me.

Connect ??

Once you’re clear on what you expect in your workplace, finding a workplace that meets those must-haves and serves your needs is the real challenge and, although there are plenty of lists of best workplaces and Glassdoor reviews, I’ve found that nothing beats a trusted connection to vouch for finding a role in a great workplace.

If you’re lucky enough to work for a great company that’s hiring, help out the large community of job seekers I serve, and let me know about your company and open roles, I’d love to hear from you!

Tell Jess about a great open role

If you’re searching for an aligned next role and would like to be considered for my talent collective - matching you to great roles at companies hiring in my network, let me know!

I’m interested in joining Jess’ talent collective

Confidently Communicate ???

Having clarity on what you want in a workplace and even working at that workplace can amount to little if you’re not clear about what your specific expectations are - at the start of a new gig and routinely in your role.

For those of you searching for your next role: the questions you ask in the interview process are indicators of what you value most. When interviewing, be thoughtful in the questions you ask.

I recommend sprinkling in the following three types of questions for each interview:

• ‘fact finders’ - questions that give you information aligned to what you care most about; For example, “How often do you evaluate performance?” or “What does development and career advancement look like in this role?”
• ‘humble brags’ - questions that show off your knowledge about the company and industry and expertise required for the role; For example, “Have the increasingly high interest rates shifted a focus from consumer home sales to investor portfolios?” if interviewing for a role in the property tech space
• ‘in the moments’ - questions that specially address a topic or comment that came up in conversation - these are unplanned and show attentive listening

For those happily employed, you still have the power, in the right environment, to reinforce what you value most to make sure it continues to be a place you like to work.

Two ways to do this include:

• Speak with leadership: Speak up in your 1-1s with your manager about what you care most about - if you’re not having regular conversations with your manager outside of tactical updates about day-to-day work, put them on the calendar.
• Organize: Start or join an ERG group to advocate for what you care most about - I’ve been part of numerous “Women of Company Name” groups at male-dominated companies, advocating for more inclusive paternal leave policies and highlighting inherent bias within the industry. This, of course, is only effective and enabled at a workplace that is supportive of hearing these voices and enacting change.

If you’re struggling to articulate your values to your workplace and you’re feeling stuck - let’s chat.

So, now that we know the history and how to celebrate,

Happy Labor Day!

Until next Sunday,

Jess