Linked: Fundamentals to Workplace Well-being
I think there’s a lot to consider in this article, and Dakota lays out why you should read it in the first sentence.
“In this article, I’ll be arguing why value and respect are fundamental to workplace well-being, not salary or perks.”
One of the things that struck me while reading it was how much of it jives with my own experiences. This week, attending the Nuix User Exchange, I’ve had numerous conversations about why I left Nuix, what I did for a couple of years, and why I’m now working at Lighthouse, and the reasons for the changes are not straight forward to many people. There’s no career ladder, no clear path to bigger and better things. In fact, you could argue I’ve gone backwards on the career ladder and then forward again, and it all had to do with things outside of work.
Outside events, in our families, with my own mental health, with my own sense of belonging and contributing, etc, were much bigger contributors to one, or both, of those decisions than anything either company could offer me.
It wasn’t about money (I was one of those people mentioned who took a pay cut to get what I wanted), it wasn’t about perks, it wasn’t about wellness classes, or open offices, or anything. It was about having a job that fit with what I wanted my life overall to be.
If you don’t know your employees well enough to know that that looks like for them, and have no mechanism to make it possible, be prepared to lose some. No yoga class, or ping pong table is going to change that.
If you work in an industry that can’t provide flexibility, or meaningful engagement, or value your employees appropriately, then turnover is just going to be the cost of doing business. On the other hand, IMHO there are a lot of businesses who think that describes them, who are wrong.
Yes, I’m looking at you law firms. How do you provide flexibility, and well-being for your staff? How much do you truly value their input?
Don’t be surprised if the really good ones find other opportunities.
