Vivowire: Flex-washing, Disney Villains & New Grooves

Welcome to edition #57 of Vivowire, the Workvivo newsletter!

This week's newsletter is full of 'don'ts'.?

Don't let the pressure of too many choices put you off. Don't be as deceptive as a Disney villain. Don't bet on squirrels for accurate navigational advice.?

So, to balance things out, here's a 'do':?Do?hit the reply button and let me know what you've experienced in career decision-making, flex-washing, taking ownership, and even accidentally being turned into a llama.

Scratch that?–?especially?if you've accidentally been turned into a llama.

Let's go! ??

This Week’s Top 3 Thumbstoppers

1.?Frailty, Thy Name Is… Option Overload

TL;DR:?Pivot’s CEO has a PSA for Prince Hamlet and employees susceptible to indecision and option overload.

Have you ever been faced with a career-related decision? I’m going to guess yes. Ever felt like you’ve had an option overload, or as Pivot ’s?Arjun Prakash calls it, a problem of plenty? Arjun would probably wager yes since “there are so many career options today”.

Arjun posted some examples of career decisions many of us meet at some point in our professional lives, as well as his tips for navigating those times.?

You know who should read his post? Hamlet.?

Granted, Hamlet’s biggest indecision is triggered by a ghost. But deciding whether or not to enact vengeance against his uncle Claudius would probably impact his career in the monarchy quite a bit.?

But why is indecision?a problem for Hamlet? It makes him hesitant, overly cautious, and frustrated. And like those of us who aren’t characters in a Shakespearean tragedy, feeling indecisive when presented with option overload can be seriously overwhelming.?

Arjun’s examples include…

• Staying with your current employer for the sake of stability and familiarity
• Changing your career to gain new skills and connections
• Starting something of your own to take more ownership of your career
• Studying or working abroad to explore new cultures and seek better opportunities
• Taking a sabbatical to focus on health, relationships, hobbies, and other life priorities
• Deciding whether that ghost you had a chat with was real or not

The key to keeping your cool? Putting less pressure on yourself, taking time to think, and trusting yourself.??

Soliloquies on the futility of life are entirely at your discretion.?

So, what does Arjun recommend keeping in mind when you’re given so many options? Here’s his advice.

1. Carve out time?to really understand your own priorities. “Focus on knowing yourself,” he says. “Most people don’t do that. But gaining clarity on what you are good at and what drives you is the only way to cut through the noise.”
2. Create a framework?where you can rank your career priorities from high to low to narrow down your options. Parameters like stability, difficulty, and fulfilment can help you approach the decision logically.
3. As Stevie Nicks would say,?go your own way. “Please don’t go by what others are doing because everyone has different skills and priorities,” Arjun (not Stevie) says. “You are not them and they are not you. There’s a reason for that.”?

Read Arjun’s LinkedIn post – and the conversations it inspired –?here

2. When It Comes to Flexibility, Don’t Be a Disney Villain

TL;DR:?Hybrid workplace models could be the perfect disguise for?a power-hungry Sea Witch?flex-washing companies.

Pretty much every Disney villain is disingenuous and deceitful. In Tangled, Mother Gothel tells Rapunzel that she’s protecting her from a terrible world, when in reality she’s just trying to profit from the lost princess’ magic hair.?

In Frozen, Hans sings a romantic musical number with Anna – as you do on a first date – but is actually plotting to steal the throne from her sister.?

In The Little Mermaid, Ursula pretends to strike a ‘fair’ deal – if you can call exploiting a naive young woman and?literally?silencing her fair – but secretly steals Ariel’s voice to sabotage the deal in her favor.?

Yes, I watch too much Disney.

We’ve talked about flex-washing before, but we may need to be more vigilant than ever given the global move to hybrid working and employee priorities shifting.

Particularly when we don’t have mischievous chameleons, musical crabs, and melodramatic snowmen to help us.?

A?recent article in BBC Worklife?revisits the topic, claiming that hybrid return-to-office mandates “aren’t as flexible as they seem”. While these models are “touted as fluid and agile”, it says, “the very nature of strict in-office dates and hours implemented by top-down bosses” contradicts the entire point.?

There is a hybrid solution that actually provides more flexibility, according to Leesman CEO Tim Oldman ; it requires negotiation between companies and employees. He says, “Any employer has to make a decision for the general interest of the majority for the purpose of the organization – and most workers will accept that some rules are needed. But employers can do more in understanding the true spectrum of inclusivity – and providing flexible and agile solutions for employees within a framework that suits both parties.”

Flexibility isn’t just about the hours you work. Oldman says employers should also consider whether people want to work in quieter areas, for example. “It at least gives an employee choice, allowing them to redesign their job for greater flexibility.?

“Nearly everyone loses with fixed, mandated hybrid schedules. Really, employers should be nearly as flexible as the employee.”

Basically, unless you want to become known as the Mother Gothel/Hans/Ursula/any Disney villain of the working world, don’t say you’re a flexible employer and then take a one-size-fits-all approach to how your people do their jobs.?

Read the BBC article?here.

3. Under the Lens… MongoDB, Ownership & Emperor Kuzco

TL;DR:?Taking ownership helped Emperor Kuzco stop being a llama, and could help make for a better place of work.

We know that authenticity, transparency, and honesty are hallmarks of a healthy workplace. But what does that look like in reality? One factor is emphasizing the importance of ownership and accountability, and it’s crucial that companies lead by example.?

Take Kuzco from The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) as a cautionary tale. When we first meet him, he’s a leader who shirks his responsibilities, blames everyone else for his mistakes, and shows no compassion or empathy for those around him.?

He also throws old men out windows, but let’s?hope?assume none of us need to be cautioned against that as a leadership tactic.

One organization that puts ownership on a pedestal is US software company MongoDB. Of its core values, the encouragement to Own What You Do is one that Kuzco could definitely learn from.?

MongoDB says, “We take ownership and are accountable for everything that we do.”

It helpfully points out what this value actually means, but also what it doesn’t mean for employees. According to its website, it doesn’t mean that everyone does everything, that feedback should be dismissed, that inappropriate behavior can be inappropriately justified, and that ‘command and control’ behavior is acceptable.?

Instead, it means taking initiative and being resourceful, admitting mistakes and learning from them, being accountable for impacting others, and “only speaking about others in a way that we would speak to them directly”.?

Which means Kuzco’s comment about his former colleague and current adversary Yzma being “living proof that dinosaurs once roamed the Earth” probably wouldn’t fly.?

How does Kuzco’s life change for the better when he stops deflecting, and actually takes ownership of his actions? His relationship with his new bestie, Pacha, improves. He starts to get joy out of giving back to the community. And he turns back into a human.

For MongoDB employees, valuing ownership and accountability has given them a healthier place of work.?

They’ve given the company a?4.4-star rating on Glassdoor, where 87% of reviewers would recommend working at the company to a friend and 97% approve of its CEO, Dev Ittycheria . Reviewers cite its great people, culture, and leadership. One mentions how they appreciate their leadership team’s willingness to talk about their own personal growth and that they encourage “you to own your business and play to your strengths, while still working within the team”.?

On Comparably, the company has an A grade (4.5 out of 5 stars), with A+ ratings in areas like CEO Rating, Perks & Benefits, Outlook, and Work Culture. Here, reviewers mention its fairness and transparency, openness and honesty, and that it is “non-judgmental”.?

The bottom line??Be like MongoDB; imbue your company culture with an appreciation for ownership and accountability, and always lead by example.?

And never make a professional enemy out of anyone who owns a secret lab you can only get to on a roller coaster.

Quote of the Week

“This is the last time we take directions from a squirrel”?– Yzma, who you shouldn't look to for leadership lessons. (But she's right, don't take directions from squirrels.)

What’s up at Workvivo?

Workvivo’s Guide To Supporting Line Manager Communications:?Wondering how you can help line managers across your organization deliver effective internal comms? Workvivo’s Guide To Supporting Line Manager Communications is here to help!?Find her blog post here!

How to Successfully Transition to a Four-Day Week:?It sounds straightforward, but a ‘four-day week’ can refer to fundamentally different schedules depending on who you ask.?Learn more here!

8 Ways To Keep Your Executive Team Engaged With Your EX App:?Is your next big hurdle maintaining that initial buy-in from your executive team with your internal comms or employee experience platform??Look no further!?

Final Thought?

Thanks for reading this week's issue!

Don't be a stranger.???

Do watch some Disney classics.?

For now, Vivowire out ??

If you have any feedback or just want to say ‘howdy’, simply reply to this email,?reach out on LinkedIn?or chat on?Twitter.