Sponsored by: QuantumWork Advisory
In the classic comedy Office Space, Peter Gibbons and his friends have a permanent case of ‘the Mondays.’ Stuck in dead-end programming jobs in an uncaring corporate environment, the movie is prescient of what is being termed ‘The Great Resignation.’ In one scene, Peter explains his attitude toward work in an interview with Bob, the dimwitted consultant responsible for reducing costs:
Peter Gibbons: The thing is, Bob, it’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I just don’t care.
Bob Porter: Don’t… don’t care?
Peter Gibbons: It’s a problem of motivation, alright? Now if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don’t see another dime, so where’s the motivation? And here’s something else, Bob. I have eight different bosses right now.
Bob Slydell: I beg your pardon?
Peter Gibbons: Eight bosses.
Bob Slydell: Eight?
Peter Gibbons: Eight, Bob. So that means when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That’s my only real motivation, not to be hassled. That and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.
The Full Potential of People
Like Bob, we have frequent examples of people that have had enough as resignations hit record numbers. Unfortunately, resignations only reflect the tip of the iceberg of the total problem – a lack of engagement and productivity.
With the tendency to design very narrow job descriptions with clear performance metrics, we ignore the full potential of people. As a result, we create a problem of hidden and untapped abilities and skills. Most organizations only engage a percentage of an employee’s potential. As a result, employees feel undervalued, unfulfilled, and leave.
Design Jobs People Love & Enjoy
There is a movement to understand what employees want. The obligatory presence of foosball tables, baristas, and physical proximity to senior leadership is now largely redundant in a hybrid world. Having a “cool” work environment starts to look tone-deaf when you cut your workforce every time Wall Street sneezes.
The good news is the answer is attainable. Design jobs that people will enjoy. People resign for many reasons and money is normally a key factor, so it’s important to regularly benchmark the marketplace. Apart from using money as a solution, the next biggest factor is designing jobs that people find attractive with great employee experiences. I was recently quoted in Authority Magazine about this urgent need for top-notch workforce UX:
“I’m being repetitive, but it’s so important. Try and design jobs that people will enjoy. I think we lack a true understanding of human motivation and satisfaction. While it may flow against the tide of popular sentiment, I believe people like to work. When it gets down to it, we get a kick out of having a challenge and being able to use a range of our skills to solve it.”
The importance of Designing Work That People Love was further explored by Marcus Buckingham in the HBR Magazine (May–June 2022) writing:
“Simply put, work isn’t working for us. It wasn’t before the pandemic, and it isn’t now. According to surveys my colleagues and I have conducted at ADP Research Institute (ADPRI), before the pandemic, only 18% of respondents were fully engaged at work, 17% felt highly resilient at work, and 14% trusted their senior leaders and team leader.”
And he goes on to say:
“To stem the tide and to attract and retain the best people, then, we must redesign jobs around a simple but powerful concept: love for the content of the work itself.”
As you would have gathered already, I believe that enjoying work is everything. It is the most important factor. Data constantly says that people leave because they are unfulfilled. As a result, they search for something they can’t quite find. If people are passionate and engaged at work. they’ll often do great things! Yes, we all get frustrated, tired, and annoyed. However, if we enjoy the work at intrinsic level day-to-day, then we will have employees who are more engaged and productive.
People-Centric Jobs
It’s vital to ensure jobs are designed with a people-centric lens so people truly enjoy them and reach their full potential. Here are some thought-provoking questions to challenge the design of a role:
- How can they express creativity or innovation?
- Can they work on short-term projects across the organization?
- Do they have access to constant learning and mentors who have shared experiences?
- Do we have policies that enable us to take advantage of untapped skills?
At Quantum Work Advisory, we recommend employers use empathy-based design thinking methodologies and new AI technologies to design jobs that people are more likely to enjoy. Additionally, there is an opportunity to benchmark the market to assess how attractive a job will be using supply and demand modeling.
The Role of Technology
Technology has a major role to play in helping to design more enjoyable jobs. In our area of specialization, by leveraging design thinking, we focus on ensuring that all Worktech supporting an organization’s Talent Acquisition and Contingent Workforce function, is people-centric and removes manual tasks through new AI and Automation tools. As a result, users are less frustrated, have more time to do higher-value tasks, and are therefore more satisfied at work.
Another key tool for employers is to use exciting technology platforms to match skills to projects so employees can find opportunities to develop skills outside their current job description. Thankfully, many exciting new tech companies like Eightfold, Gloat, and Fuel 50 use powerful AI algorithms to match projects to untapped skills in the existing workforce seamlessly.
In Summary
In any job, there is a level of discretionary effort and thinking activated because we are passionate about what we do. If you aren’t happy and passionate, companies don’t create and capture the value of that extra effort, ideas, and innovations. That lost economic value has a direct impact on the bottom line and the future growth of the company.
Changing a company’s overall people strategy may seem like an insurmountable task. However, designing jobs that people want seems like a very good place to start. Leverage new technology to remove mundane, manual tasks to better engage and motivate people like Peter Gibbons in the film Office Space.
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