Are you struggling to find the employees you need? Like me, do you constantly hear from executives that “no one wants to work anymore”? You’re not alone. In nearly every meeting I attend with executives around the U.S., these issues come up.
But, what if the real reason is something that no one is talking about?
The real reason ‘no one wants to work anymore’
The problem is poor alignment between what a job is advertised to be and what the employee actually experiences. On the outside, companies present an inspiring mission or vision.
Look at almost any organization’s website, and you will see an inspiring mission or vision:
- Nike – To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.
- Harvard – To advance new ideas and promote enduring knowledge.
- Salesforce – To empower companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way.
What most companies present on the outside is a Call to Adventure. It’s the inspiring message that tells you there is a dragon out there that needs to be slain, you’re the one that can do it, and when you come back from that adventure, you and your community will be better for it.
But, what most employees experience is far from that.
One solution – Make the work mean something
The solution is to make the work mean something. Companies need to help employees see the part they play in realizing the company’s mission. This can be done in a number of ways, but the most important thing is that businesses need to show their employees that their work matters.
You don’t have to make everyone’s job exciting per se. You don’t have to give your call center manager the most innovative work in the business.
But, you do need to help your employees see the part they play in realizing your mission.
The most obvious contributor to employees not seeing this–and some potential employees not wanting to work for you–is that most businesses don’t bother to show their employees that their work matters. Employees all too often feel either like their job is meaningless or that it should mean something and no one realizes that.
When you feel like you are a cog in a machine, you feel unseen. You feel like you are just one of many. And, you likely cannot see what your purpose really is. So while you’re spinning and doing your job, you do not sense any greater connection to a larger purpose or that anyone recognizes your value.
You can change this for your employees by better communicating what your company makes real in the world and how each person plays an important part in that. And if you can do that, you stand a better chance of actually being able to get people to want to work at your company rather than just seeing you as another paycheck that maybe they’re no longer so motivated to seek out.
