The Victorian, industrial era ended a long time ago, yet we still see employees, humans in the workplace, treated more like machinery than people. Throughout the year of 2024, I’ve read about more than a fair share of organizational pain. Here are a few examples, including one that proves we still put more value in equipment than people -
A Linked In poster wrote about the dislike she experienced from her manager, and the pain associated with being treated differently along with the humiliation of how she was treated;
Multiple articles, posts, and videos about the younger generation being fired, rather than being mentored and developed;
From the voice of a long-seasoned industrial equipment planner, “our machines receive better care than our employees”:
A veteran, tenured employee fired for taking too long to “grieve for the loss of a spouse”;
Countless articles on questioning the time spent in meetings improving relationships, when we need to be more interested in improving results;
Now, I realize that businesses are in business to make money, act as fiduciary agents for stakeholders, and ensure the organizations financial stability. In many cases these same businesses are the economic backbone of a community. But this type of behavior goes well beyond cruelty, is it truly the reality of how business should function? As we move into the year 2025, I believe that we can and should be doing better. We can do better for the individuals who perform the work. We can do better for our communities. We can do better for everyone by encouraging businesses to make a positive difference.
It seems that in the year 2024 we know enough about leadership, employee engagement, and human behavior to understand that this type of employee treatment is truly unnecessary and unproductive. It seems that with as much as we know about effective leadership, we would have abandoned this truly heinous behavior into the dustbin of history (Oliver, N., 2024); unfortunately, it persists.
How about if we make 2025 the year of the employee? A year where we embrace the fact that our employees are humans, not machines. A year in which we truly value the voice of the employee. A year where we fully understand and appreciate that leaders are individuals that use their positive influence to better others rather than themselves, a year where we leave ego behind for the sake of others, a year where we embrace kindness, empathy, and compassion as a business model. These things are not mutually exclusive to business effectiveness! A year in which we commit to long-term, positive change for the betterment of everyone.
How will you make a difference for others? Archetype Learning Solutions is dedicated to helping promote a difference so employees - team members - feel valued and contribute more through that value.
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