Adapting to the Changing Workforce
I’ve seen many different posts lately disparaging people for being “picky” about where they work and choosing themselves over what seems like a great job. I’ve also seen a lot of arguments about the living wage and what minimum wage work “looks like.” It got me thinking about work differently. Specifically, about how we look at people that are working (or not working). How we look at and judge the people instead of the business, the culture, or any other factor that affects how people see their work (and sometimes worth).
I’ll start off by saying that I’m a workaholic. Seriously – ask anyone that knows me, and they’ll tell you I’m obsessed with work and being productive. I’ve realized over time, in working with teams made of many different kinds of people, that I’m WEIRD. I have a strange love for work that I haven’t found in anyone else – and I’m thankful for that. I like being weird.
That’s why this situation is particularly interesting to me. At first, I didn’t understand why there were so many open jobs, why so many people I knew and didn’t know were leaving their jobs. Many with no notice (YIKES). My experiences gave me a different view of work/life balance, one that recognizes the importance of that relationship being a true partnership between employer and employee. I was lucky enough to be part of workplaces and management teams that valued this partnership, and they allowed me to grow personally and professionally, and we both reaped the benefits.
But why am I talking about this? Why does the way I feel about this matter at all? Well, this is an extremely critical time in workplace management and development – and it’s evolving quickly! This evolution will cause a shift in the way we work and the way we look at work. It already has. We are facing a time where business owners must make a crucial decision – do you continue to blame the workforce or look internally to adapt to the change?
I challenge you to look internally to adapt to change. Maybe get a salary survey in. No, I’m not asking you to give all your profits away but take some time to make sure that your values are reflected in how you treat your team. Check-in with them – sometimes, all they need is support or guidance. Remember, you ARE a team!
Our workforce is constantly evolving, and it is OUR job as business owners and leaders to make changes to continue creating true partnerships with that changing workforce. We can’t create the $15/hr employee without working TOGETHER. We can’t forget that we need each other.
