The Way We Do Work

I’m working with a client who wants to help his managers better deal with employees who are at risk for resigning from their jobs. There are a multitude of reasons, but the primary one that top performers cite is being overwhelmed and burnt out.

Not just on the work front, but from all the pressures of being a human in this current era. They say that the traditional work week and environment just isn’t working for them anymore.

People are choosing to leave the workforce in record numbers.

As I’ve shared in previous emails, some are staying but putting boundaries in place about how much time and effort they are willing to contribute. This is shocking for organizations. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, productivity plunged in the first half of 2022. This is the sharpest decline since the 1940’s.

Management tools and worker engagement strategies that have been used in the past are just no longer effective. Yet most of my clients continue to try and deploy them. Change is hard, I get that. Still, change is critical.

My forward-thinking client recognizes this for the crisis that it is.

The old model was built on the idea that 40-hour employees who want to “get ahead” will gladly contribute 50 or more hours in hopes of promotion. And now they are saying, “No more”.

I was listening to this report from KTLA news [Video] and was really struck by the approach that Ford Motor Company is choosing to attempt to solve the productivity crisis. They refer to it as a Performance Enhancement Program where underachieving employees who have been there 8 years or more can either leave voluntarily with a severance package or participate in a re-education program and retain their job. If they don’t improve performance after re-education, they will be fired with no severance.

I’m not convinced that this carrot and stick management style is going to be effective because it addresses a symptom (lower performance) and does not look at the root causes affecting employees.

I’m eager to see the long-term success data for this program, and hoping Ford decides to share it.

What I do know is that employees are very clear that the way work is being done now isn’t working.

They are voting with their feet. So if you want to have a solid work force, you can’t delay in rethinking how doing work can look differently. Even if it means turning how you do business on its head. It begins with leadership loosening their grip on compliance and the way we’ve always done things, and being open to thinking and leading differently.

If these challenges are top of mind for you, you aren’t alone.

I’d love to hear from you. . Let’s talk. I can help you and your team begin thinking differently about work. Book a free call with me.

P.S. You'll find additional reporting on this topic at the Washington Post.