Business culture needs an update

"Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes." – Hugh Prather

I've noticed a theme lately. People are restless and frustrated. At work. At school. Families, friends, loved ones... it's common and it seems more prevalent than ever.

I recently ran into a former student of mine who had began his career in business. He had recently returned to the University to pursue nursing and his words were not unlike many people I've spoken with lately. He spoke about giving back something to the world after all he'd taken (having been in an industry that is often perceived as morally questionable). He spoke about purpose and fulfillment in this new career path and how this new career path provided a sense of service and value to our society. In that moment, I absolutely understood what he was feeling and was so proud of him to pivot from a successful business career to pursue something he felt passionate about despite the hardships and discomfort to do so.

In a different conversation a former staff member expressed to me his desire for real purpose in his work. Really making a difference to the world rather than pushing paper around an organization where more senior staff members didn't hesitate to treat others like garbage over inconsequential but overly inflated administrative activities. Instead, he wanted to put his skills as a data analyst to use serving an organization that made an obvious and immediate impact to society through tangible insights to organizations that would ensure communities received assistance and services they needed when they needed them.

Others talked about small P purpose as opposed to big P purpose... they don't mind the work they do, and it doesn't have to have a grand purpose or contribution to society, but they're looking for fulfillment. It might be in personal growth, trust from leadership or further development and mastery of their skills vital for their career. Or maybe they just want to be able to make life a little better or easier for their coworkers or their customers, or get some sunshine each lunch hour. In any case, people are no longer accepting what is being handed to them by employers based on old traditional structures, rules or guidelines.

Another former colleague reached all the milestones early in his career... a six figure income, a position and title perceived to be senior and illustrative of his quick advancement... all the things he said he wanted to accomplish. But instead, he is feeling unfulfilled, sad and tired and dreads going to work every morning because he is working for a micromanager in an environment that values rules, structure and "keeping your head down" while he's interested in growth and innovation.

I've talked about this with so many people over the past couple of years in addition to seeing it in my consulting practice and engagement with clients. Young Millennials and Generation Z are calling bullshit on the old system we call work. The evidence is everywhere... the desire for remote or hybrid work and better work-life balance, The Great Resignation, staff shortages, turnover, employee wellness. All of it.

Whether it be post pandemic, a society more conscious of culture and the future, or just a natural shift in how people interact that comes with new generations, these demographics are looking for purpose. Respect. Authenticity. Meaning. Growth, introspection, development, connection, genuine purpose. People want to be treated like fully formed adults with good ideas, responsibilities and they want to be trusted to do what they do best. Gone are the days of clock in, clock out. TPS reports, bums in seats, dress codes and policies on policies on policies. Fuck it all.

It's clear a good portion of organizations are still working within structures and guidelines that were formed more than half of a century ago, trying to solve new problems with old systems and it's not effective. The world has changed and so have the people in it. Knowledge workers face new challenges with the speed of technology, remote work, AI, and accessibility of knowledge, skills, and technology, but the old structures remain. In my own workplaces wellness claims and absenteeism were at all time highs. People were visibly frustrated, elevated and unhappy. The work still happens, the organization still functions and people still connect with each other, but there was a heaviness to it all. Leadership is afraid to experiment, take risks and try something new, desperately holding onto the "best practice" they learned at some conference they attended a couple of years ago. Some even hold the mentality or belief that if "this is how I had to work and these are the things I had to experience to get here, so you should too". Putting young professionals through the same corporate hazing rituals that older leaders had to endure before their young professionals were even born, is clearly not going to be effective or helpful for anyone.

Students are facing the same challenges in post-secondary institutions. The world economy is changing. People are working side hustles, part-time, contracts, freelance, remote locations, hybrid environments... patching together multiple mediums and careers to make ends meet, satisfy flexible schedules, work life balance, creative desires and more. Yet, post secondary is still largely focused on traditional career paths and progressions with courses and programs that don't reflect the changes that Gen Z and Millennials are pursuing in their working lives all while taking on crushing debt in an already difficult economy. I can see where it hardly seems worth it.

It's time to change the way we think about work and corporate systems. Referring back to the opening quote by Prather, just when we think we have it figured out, things change. We need to be prepared to adapt, adjust and try something new and that applies to business too.