Employees speaking out is here to stay.
You’ve often wanted to yell, “Between 9 and 5, it is company policy that we do not care about anything other than producing widgets. Get back to work.”
This latest batch of rabble-rousers aren’t the ones you’re used to — organized blue-collar workers, protesting for higher wages or better working conditions. These are white-collar types like engineers and analysts, project managers and marketing pros.
You might want to fire them all, but you also desperately need them, and therefore need to keep them happy. What’s a poor CEO to do?
First, take a deep breath, stare out your expansive bay window and resign yourself to the fact that this isn’t a fad. Workplace expectations are changing.
Blame their parents, but surveys indicate that employees in their 20s and 30s want to work for companies whose purpose extends beyond profit-making. They value companies that have a positive impact on society, show a commitment to a diverse and inclusive work force and are focused on issues such as pay equity and the environment. They value character and integrity.
You’d think these “kids” would want to make Birkenstocks or granola. But no. A lot of them want to work for large companies doing big, ambitious things, and seem to believe that you can do good while also having a 401(k).
So your company told its employees it also deeply cares about moral and social issues, parrots that language on its Jobs and About pages, hoping it will entice talented young workers.
But over the past few years, a lot of these brand promises have butted against reality.
Like the time Wayfair donated $100,000 to support those “in dire need of basic necessities at the border,” but sold twice that amount in beds to the contractor operating detention centers caging migrant children.
“But,” you may shout, “don’t they understand that marketing is always an illusion?!”
True. (But don’t you understand that you can’t promise your customers or employees one thing and then deliver another?*
The point is, you and your company got yourself into this pickle.
Rather than lecture your employees - you might do better to shift your mental framework and try to understand your employees’ concerns.
Lest you think this is the end of capitalism, just think how Machiavellian this strategy can actually be. Research shows that by looking beyond profit-making and embracing a strong sense of character purpose, you can actually engage your employees and get even more work out of them!
Engage with employees before any bubbling tension builds to mutiny.
Of course, some employees will occasionally lose sight of the fact that they are working for a moneymaking corporation. You can always remind them of this fact by putting posters on the walls with your favorite capitalist slogans.
But a better strategy might be to sincerely embrace the mission and values your marketing teams dreamed up. A strong moral compass might help steer your company from some immoral decisions in the long run, engendering trust from both your employees and the outside world.
Yes- You want to make money, and that’s fine. But why not actually try caring a bit? America’s new work force expects it of you, and your company needs them more than they need you.