![No one wants to work [hard] anymore](https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D5612AQFG_A502NGPkA/article-cover_image-shrink_720_1280/article-cover_image-shrink_720_1280/0/1663261175421?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=Ioo97PFTo7igq92vuwVUaUR2RtcjgqdP2b05DkSMvcg)
No one wants to work [hard] anymore
If there's one thing I've heard again, and again, and again - from real people - in the past three weeks, it's this:?no one wants to work hard anymore.
There was a time in the past, when people were humble, they worked hard and were eager to learn. In the nowtimes, people want all kinds of considerations and exceptions, they want to get promoted quickly, and they don't work nearly as hard as when we first started.
This theme cuts across industry, geography, sector.
Each time, I'm brought back to my career as a reference point.
15 years ago, there was little to no expectation of checking email outside work hours, certainly we couldn't do so on our cell phones. People couldn't message you with the expectation of a?timely?response on a half dozen platforms - LinkedIn, Slack, Teams, Instagram, TikTok and ones I've yet to hear about.
No one wants to work hard is such a lazy, ignorant point of view.
What does it mean to work full time and not afford the very basics - rent, food, utilities, and transportation? How are people expected to give their all, all the time, when they are worried about housing stability?
The chart below shows the average rent in the city, and the annual salary a person would need to comfortably pay for a 1-2 bedroom house/apartment.
The median income for households led by a Black person in Seattle is?$43,500.?After taxes, a month's paycheck doesn't even cover rent.
领英推荐
The solution to "nobody wants to work hard anymore" is not rocket science - it's simple math.
When we pay people a living wage, it unlocks their ability to focus on their work.
When we offer paid family and medical leave, sick leave, PTO, we can proactively manage burnout and reduce turnover.
When organizations are well staffed, it reduces the cycle of chronic stress from being overworked.
These are all choices leaders can make.
But if running a?profitable and successful?company is contingent on poverty-level wages - then yes, it's going to be harder to find people who want to work.
In solidarity,
Aparna
Executive Director at Queer Cultural Center
2 年"No one wants to work hard is such a lazy, ignorant point of view." No lies detected!! Love this straightforward, solution-oriented analysis. Thank you, Aparna!
Presales, OpsRamp, HPE
2 年How very appropriate, this is the very point that a lot of organisations forget. So glad that you chose to speak about it. For a long time companies have taken very cold approach to employees because of market conditions, they are just getting some of it back due to prevailing conditions.
Career Ownership Coach at The Entrepreneur's Source | Coaching Clients to Success | Certified Hello Seven Coach | Women's Health NP (WHNP-BC)
2 年People want to work, I know and hear this all day, every day in my work as a career coach, what people are tired of is working 50-60+ hours with little benefit to them or their families. As a nursing professional for over 30 yrs. this hits a cord "underpaid positions so 2 dozen ppl can get rich." ?? No truer words have been spoken. Until service professions such as nursing, teachers and railroad workers to name a few get paid their worth our communities will continue to suffer as these professionals have had enough of working for organizations that do not care or value their employees. And it is NOT all about money/salaries., yes that's a huge part of it but sometimes just letting employees know they are appreciated can make or break a decision to resign.
Writing the words you want to read.
2 年Amen.