I just received a wonderful email about my last entry:
"I really enjoyed your latest entry, "My Experience in Business." You are definitely a Gen Y'er. Your perception of the workplace is similar to mine, but we differ on the "lifestyle of an office worker". Having been an office worker for some time, I have experienced office life long enough to know that it's not as black-and-white as Gen Y'ers seem to think. People need structure in their lives. Structure gives them purpose. Specialization gives people a sense of worth. The average person is a follower, not a leader. This is a good thing. Early humans had the choice of absolute individuality vs. conformity; they chose conformity, and civilization was born. People were given roles in the community, and thus the community thrived. Corporations are the same; they are in a sense a community. Companies are starting to see this and treat it as such. Microsoft built an entire community in Redmond, Washington and gave their workers unprecedented work/life alternatives. Google, Apple, and other tech companies have followed suit. [Modified to protect anonymity of response] -- In my own experience, workers at my company are encouraged to take time off. There are yoga classes and many clubs which meet monthly for extracurricular activities and to help employees to stay passionate about what they’re doing. Our building is at a constant 60% capacity as many people work from home/remotely. Each of the employees is a specialist in their field of work. At the end of the day, the corporation understands that work requires long hours and a certain level of structure, but also takes into account the individual's needs. I believe this type of environment is most conducive to quality output; a bit of "political correctness", conformity, and a healthy dose of work/life balance." Thanks again for the comment. I really value your contribution, and you bring up many relevant points. First, I think it is incredibly important to bring up the fact that there are some companies out there who are pushing the boundaries of what is an acceptable workplace environment and culture. Many of us are well aware of the cultures being created (or having existed for some time) at companies like Google, Dreamworks and other "Best Places to Work”. They are definitely leading the way in creating a work/life balance. Things like free or play time is encouraged and even mandated at certain locations, interpersonal relationships and respect among co-workers and bosses paramount, and as a result individual output and creativity are (in theory) maximized. I think Tim Sanders’ in Keith Ferrazzi’s “Never Eat Alone” frames the inevitability of this continuing into the future very well, and provides reasons as to why we might not ever return to “mean business” -- "Options within the marketplace" and the "Transparency of business": “At a time when more of us have more options than ever, there’s no need to put up with a product or service that doesn’t deliver, a company that we don’t like, or a boss whom we don’t respect.” He goes on to say, “It’s almost impossible for a shoddy product, a noxious company, or a crummy person to keep its, his, or her sad reality a secret anymore. There are too many highly opinionated and well-informed people with access to e-mail, instant messaging, and the web.” To me, the key distinguisher in what you said was: “Companies are starting to see this and treat it as such.” It is great that American business is moving in this direction. My blog entry was meant to focus more on my own experience, and I have not experienced consistent climates such as you described. However, I have definitely had the pleasure of working with some amazingly inspirational leaders and companies. Having employers who check in with their employees when they notice something wrong, who acknowledge successes and reward efforts appropriately and ultimately encourage their employees to grow (and not only in those ways which are desired by the company or dictated by profits), makes daily life at a company much sweeter. Unfortunately, at this stage of our corporate evolution, I think these environments are few and far between. My hope is that this continues to progress as you mention. However, my cynicism is that I have seen more companies providing outlets and opportunities for employees but yet rarely allowing these activities to take place. For example, I can think of at least 3 companies which have some sort of “activity space” for their employees. Yet, my understanding of the cultural perception of anyone actually using those areas is purely negative. To paraphrase: “Those slackers!” In fact, in one of the environments I worked in, the game table in the activity space actually had dust on it. To “Gen Y’s”, as you say, it was obviously just for show. I also cannot even begin to tell you how many emails I've seen talking about the "importance of corporate culture and employees" -- says the email which goes to the bosses, and my own, spam folder. “People need structure in their lives. Structure gives them purpose. Specialization gives people a sense of worth”, you say. Along these same lines, Gen. Patton once said, “An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body.” Personally, I agree with both of these quotes. However, I would make one small copy edit to yours. I don’t believe that “structure gives (people) purpose.” [Modified to protect anonymity of response] -- In my own experience, workers at my company are encouraged to take time off. There are yoga classes and many clubs which meet monthly for extracurricular activities and to help employees to stay passionate about what they’re doing. Our building is at a constant 60% capacity as many people work from home/remotely. Each of the employees is a specialist in their field of work. At the end of the day, the corporation understands that work requires long hours and a certain level of structure, but also takes into account the individual's needs. I believe this type of environment is most conducive to quality output; a bit of "political correctness", conformity, and a healthy dose of work/life balance." Thanks again for the comment. I really value your contribution, and you bring up many relevant points. First, I think it is incredibly important to bring up the fact that there are some companies out there who are pushing the boundaries of what is an acceptable workplace environment and culture. Many of us are well aware of the cultures being created (or having existed for some time) at companies like Google, Dreamworks and other "Best Places to Work”. They are definitely leading the way in creating a work/life balance. Things like free or play time is encouraged and even mandated at certain locations, interpersonal relationships and respect among co-workers and bosses paramount, and as a result individual output and creativity are (in theory) maximized. I think Tim Sanders’ in Keith Ferrazzi’s “Never Eat Alone” frames the inevitability of this continuing into the future very well, and provides reasons as to why we might not ever return to “mean business” -- "Options within the marketplace" and the "Transparency of business": “At a time when more of us have more options than ever, there’s no need to put up with a product or service that doesn’t deliver, a company that we don’t like, or a boss whom we don’t respect.” He goes on to say, “It’s almost impossible for a shoddy product, a noxious company, or a crummy person to keep its, his, or her sad reality a secret anymore. There are too many highly opinionated and well-informed people with access to e-mail, instant messaging, and the web.” To me, the key distinguisher in what you said was: “Companies are starting to see this and treat it as such.” It is great that American business is moving in this direction. My blog entry was meant to focus more on my own experience, and I have not experienced consistent climates such as you described. However, I have definitely had the pleasure of working with some amazingly inspirational leaders and companies. Having employers who check in with their employees when they notice something wrong, who acknowledge successes and reward efforts appropriately and ultimately encourage their employees to grow (and not only in those ways which are desired by the company or dictated by profits), makes daily life at a company much sweeter. Unfortunately, at this stage of our corporate evolution, I think these environments are few and far between. My hope is that this continues to progress as you mention. However, my cynicism is that I have seen more companies providing outlets and opportunities for employees but yet rarely allowing these activities to take place. For example, I can think of at least 3 companies which have some sort of “activity space” for their employees. Yet, my understanding of the cultural perception of anyone actually using those areas is purely negative. To paraphrase: “Those slackers!” In fact, in one of the environments I worked in, the game table in the activity space actually had dust on it. To “Gen Y’s”, as you say, it was obviously just for show. I also cannot even begin to tell you how many emails I've seen talking about the "importance of corporate culture and employees" -- says the email which goes to the bosses, and my own, spam folder. “People need structure in their lives. Structure gives them purpose. Specialization gives people a sense of worth”, you say. Along these same lines, Gen. Patton once said, “An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body.” Personally, I agree with both of these quotes. However, I would make one small copy edit to yours. I don’t believe that “structure gives (people) purpose.” I believe structure can give people purpose, but it is far from the only way to define ones’ life. What I will agree with is that I believe more and more people in our society are defining their lives by the work they do. In fact, this is what I did. I was an entertainment marketer ergo I was… well, when I realized what I was becoming, I quickly realized I was... an A**HOLE. In this case I believe my structure was not sufficient for my purpose, for I eventually realized that my structure was encouraging me to change my purpose and this was a decision I would not accept. The cognitive dissonance was too much. Ultimately, the most important thing to me is for people to choose their own purpose and desires, and commit to them. Even if it is just an exploratory commitment; lay out the plans and give them a shot! What I believe your point brings to light is that, in lieu of this self-defined "purpose", someone else will be quick to decide that fate for us. In fact, they do this every day. Corporations, our constant consumption, family, friends, significant others and other external pursuits will always provide a "structure" for us to define ourselves by. However, it is when we truly expend effort in searching these pre-conceived notions (virtually innate notions in certain cases?) within us that we figure out whether or not we wish to update our default purpose. In this manner, you are 100% correct in encouraging specialization. Let's just make sure that specialization is in fact in line with our true purpose or desires. Then, down the road when others look back at our civilization, maybe they can say that " People CHOSE roles in their community, and thus the community thrived." Cheers.
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Nick HoltMental Health and Therapy Writer. As featured on Huffington Post, Vox Media and elsewhere. Archives
January 2019
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