Work Is NOT a Dirty Word
Despite titanic efforts to lure talent with a mishmash of perks and benefits, almost 6 in 10 employees are now quiet quitters, costing $8.8tn to the global economy, about 9% of global GDP.
Maybe it is time we dare to question what is in our toolbox.
If someone from another planet shows up tomorrow, they are likely to believe that humans hate work, so it is important that we persuade them to do it. Soon, they might conclude that our methods do not work, wondering why we insist on using variations of the same premise.
They will hear us talk about compensation, incentives, rewards and even work-life balance, suggesting that life is what happens when people are not working.
Not long ago, work was one of the main things we did in life. It not only defined who we were but gave us meaning, made us want to learn and grow, helped us connect with others and took us to new places. For most, work gave humans the identity they needed to navigate life.
What if our insistence on using the same old tools had something to do with the increase in loneliness and depression we are experiencing today? What if, like our ancestors, humans engaged better when having others around to share a common goal with?
What if, as we tried to maximise performance, we unintendedly minimised the central role that work plays in our being humans and how this connects us with life and the rest of society?
CEO & Founder HR4Growth - Fractional CHRO - Global HR Executive - CEO HR Advisor - Executive Conscious Business Coach - Contributor to Profitable Growth through HR Transformation - 40+ League Member
9 个月Absolutely in agreement Javier! Meaning and purpose are some of the key motivators in a job. And sharing meaning with other people (workmates) is even more powerful in terms of motivation. Thousands of examples of teams sports provide evidence of what you say. See this interesting article Regina Athie
Instructor de cursos en GP Strategies Corporation
9 个月Interesting point of view from the great Javier Bajer!
Thinking Partner @MAKE Strategy
9 个月Apparently in his first visit to NYC Sigmund Freud was asked “how to keep healthier” to which he promptly replied “love and work” meaning by work doing useful activities. Work is necessary and worthwhile depending on one’s capabilities and attitude. Of course there still are many hard blue collar jobs we shouldn’t ignore, nevertheless work is a healthy activity.
Gerente de Servicios a Base Instalada ONE at Seidor Argentina
9 个月I agree with this! If we try to set apart work from life, we'll end up being replaced for another human intelligence or maybe an artificial intelligence. We need to make work part of our lives or keep looking until we find the right one. Then it becomes fulfilling. Finally, when you find your work sweetspot, you should get really involved to enjoy it, knowing that you will have bad and good days. You will have to deal with things you don't like. Perfect is a utopia. So embracing imperfections and learning from your experiences is essential to grow!