Sould believes that you, as an individual, are one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable. That you have a specific plan, purpose, and perspective that the world needs.
Your job and career however, are replaceable (see layoff likelihood). Companies vying for talent promise the world to employees to attract and retain talent. Things like “unlimited PTO,” “people are our most important assets,” or “come work in a fast paced and competitive environment” are all very common cliches at this point. A fast-paced environment comes with a micromanager, unlimited PTO does not mean you have freedom from judgement taking time off, and people still lose jobs at firms claiming people are the most important assets.
This has inspired a look into other paradoxes that exist in employment. Let’s cut through the corporate jargon to understand what’s really going on in the workplace. The top 5 workplace paradoxes – lets fire it up!
1. We Provide an Exciting and Fulfilling Career Path
The Bad
Most people believe they can one day discover their purpose and that they can be happy, motivated, and fulfilled in their work. LinkedIn job postings show companies claiming “mission focused,” “develop our talent,” and “growing your career.” These things give the feelings a company focused on doing good and committed to your career.
The reality is the role clarity and work stress are at all high time highs. Look at these quick hitters from a 2023 Gallup poll:
- 53% of the workforce is quiet quitting – these employees are filling a seat and watching the clock, psychologically disconnected from their employer. They are more likely to be stressed and burnt out.
- 57% are experiencing negative impacts of work related stress
- 51% of currently employed workers are actively looking for a new job
- Just 32% of employees in the US say they are engaged (globally, engagement is at 23% – Yikes!).
The American Psychological Association (APA) conducts their own workplace well-being report and found more troubling news for employers who think they employees are thankful for working for them:
- 19% of respondents stated their workplace is very or somewhat toxic.
- 20% strongly disagreed with the statement “when I’m at work, I feel like I belong.”
- 22% indicated witnessing discrimination in their current workplace.
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The Good
All is not lost here. While your employer provides the work and shapes the culture in which you do it in, it’s up to YOU for how you see your job. Your interpretation of what you do is the most important determining factor in your satisfaction of your role.
Angela Duckworth in her book Grit, talks about talks how you view your own work is more important than your job title. You can move from a “job” to a “career” to a “calling” without ever actually chaning what you do. The parable of 3 bricklayers demonstrates this viewpoint:
Three bricklayers are working on a beautiful cathedral when someone stops each of them to ask what they are doing:
- The first bricklayer says he is just laying bricks. Focused on laying each brick and being able to make a living.
- The second bricklayer says she is building a wall, taking pride in her technique and ensuring high quality work.
- The third bricklayer excitedly responds he is building a grand cathedral.
Paradox:
Your employer says you will find a meaningful career and mission focused work. Really only you can do that for yourself. Additionally, research shows factors outside of work impact our sense of self-worth (e.g. family, friends, community). You can be fulfilled and find purpose outside your work!
2. Peole Are Our Most Valuable Asset
The Bad
I have worked with co-workers who have an unwavering support for their employer. While this seems great, their reasoning usually had something to do with “they were the only ones who hired me and gave me a chance” or “I really messed up one time and they decided to keep me.”
People confuse an employer showing loyalty with an employer being loyal. Make no mistake, a firm cannot be loyal if they are losing money or are out of business (see previous post – Layoff Likelihood). If the company, division, or team are not adding to the growth of the firm or are losing money, job cut will come.
Look no further than Return-to-Office. The pandemic rocked the entire world and employers had to step up and make remote work, work. Pretty much overnight employers moved to work from home who previously never would have. And in the years after the pandemic, a lot of the flexibility remains – lots o of promises of work-life balance, work flexibility, and well-being. Yet, we are seeing the shift back to the office. But is returning the office really about productivity and inspiring collaboration and positive culture?
Consider many employers went on a hiring spree during the pandemic or shortly after and have realized now they need to cut back on jobs. And even as markets normalize, companies are finding they need to reduce overhead costs. Return to office serves as a de facto way to eliminate positions – employees who may have moved further away to save on housing costs, are now facing a conundrum to return to office or lose their job. Consider nearly 7/10 employees said they would rather look for a new job than return to the office.
- Forbes: Amazon Empowers Managers to Fire Employees Who Won’t Return to Office
- SHRM: Amazon and Disney Employees Petitioning Against RTO Mandate
The Good
Your job may be replaceable (or eliminated) but you are irreplaceable. As companies promise flexibility then take it away, as they promise pay raises to then reduce headcount, you can stay focused on your skills. Find ways to leverage your employer to continually develop your skills. Seek out experiences and/or training to improve your skills or develop brand new ones. If you can continually find ways to be more productive in your job, or make your team more productive, you will be employed for a long time!
Markets and industries are continually evolving and such the demand for skills is continually changing. You don’t necessarily need to know how to code or understand complex business models. Now, the demand for soft skills is more in-demand than ever. The National Institute of Health finds individuals must possess balanced proficiency in both soft and digital skills to thrive in a future characterized by technological advancements.
Paradox:
Your employer says “People are our most valuable asset.”
- It is your knowledge, skills, and productivity that employers’ value. While your worth as a human will never change, the value of your knowledge and skills are constantly changing in the eyes of employers.
3. We Provide Competitive Salary
The Bad
We have expectations when we work that our employer will ensure our pay package (wages/salary and benefits) is competitive. The unspoken belief is our pay will continually be refreshed, in perpetuity – that in 10 years our pay will be just as well positioned or better than when we started.
The reality is the biggest salary increases come from changing jobs (switching companies) and promotions. You will likely never experience a meaningful pay increase (anything above 5%) by staying in your current job. The graph below from FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data), shows the wage growth is continuously and significantly higher for job changes than stayers. When you consider these increases compound, the earnings over a lifetime of a job changer are significant!
One of the biggest determining factors of your future pay? Your starting/current salary. Once you start low in pay, it is very hard to catch up. Employers hold significant advantages when it comes to negotiating salaries – they have industry data, company data, and consulting firm power to determine wages. While you likely have just own your experience to go off of. This creates significant advantages for employers to make offers that keep pay lower.
The Good
This is why state regulations are starting to come through protecting employees from having to disclose previous pay and requiring employers to not ask about salary history. Additionally, we are wising up to the fact employers hold significant negotiating advantage when it comes to setting salaries. To even the playing field, states are requiring salary ranges to be disclosed. You may see LinkedIn job postings, or Indeed now include salary ranges – this a direct result of state laws enacting these Pay Transparency laws.
- HR Drive: States Outlawing Pay History Questions
- ADP: Pay Transparency Laws (written from an employer’s perspective)
You must take advantage when negotiating your salary! To illustrate the importance of starting salary, let’s take two employees: employee A salary starts at $100k and employee B salary starts at $110k. If they each receive annual increases of 4% every year for 5 years, the gap in pay grows from $10k (110-100) to over $12k (133-121) – and employee B earns more than $56,000 more over the course of those 5 years.
Paradox:
Your employer will always be a source of competitive and living-wage compensation throughout your career.
- Your pay is actually primarily based on your starting salary. And the best way to increase your pay is by changing jobs/companies or securing promotions. Don’t be afraid to negotiate and create bidding wars for your skills!
4. We Offer an Inclusive Work Environment & Prioritize Well-Being
The Bad
People tend to believe companies are altruistic. That the benefits they offer and statements of concern over well-being is out of the love and care they have for their employees. That, like a family, they truly care for their own and are offering they best they can to support you and your individual needs. Perks like unlimited PTO, on-site pharmacies, pet-care are all things done simply out of a caring corporate heart.
While these perks are great, the motive is productivity; maximizing your output and minimizing your downtime. Let’s take unlimited PTO for example – surface level seems fantastic! But the old adage holds true, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” There are several reasons why an employer may offer unlimited PTO:
- Employers now are not obligated to pay out PTO
- Commissioned employees are the most negatively impacted – make it very hard to step away, knowing you’re making a financial trade off
- You’ll likely follow office culture – if everybody works 10-hour days and takes limited PTO, you’re going to do the same
- Research is showing employees with unlimited PTO actually take less time off than employees with traditional plans
Looking at other fun benefits, like pet daycare, subsidized cafeterias, on-site dry-cleaners; these are all designed to keep you at the office. The conveniences keep you from stepping away from your desk and allow for more work time. In addition, these perks are typically the first to go when a company needs to cut-costs. These benefits serve more of a signal that a company is doing well, for the time-being, and wants to create a lifestyle where employees can spend more time at the office.
The Good
You can take advantage of the benefits and perks an employer provides. Take all the advantage you can have subsidized daycare, healthcare, and cheap/free lunches. You should look at the benefits employers provide and decide which ones matter most to you. Someone starting a family may be most motivated by impressive healthcare plans and a daycare subsidy, whereas a single person living in a big city will put more value on an on-site pharmacy and subsidized meals.
Based on your life stages, you can switch or change employers based on life needs. It’s very common for employees who work for consulting firms, travelling 4 days a week and working 12-hour days, switch to more traditional Finance or Tech firms to accommodate a more regular 9-5 staying in one location. Or if your may value retirement benefits and you should absolutely feel empowered to switch companies if somewhere else offers a significantly higher 401(k) match. In short – make the benefits work for you. While you’re working for the employer, take advantage of all they have to offer.
Paradox: We prioritize worker well-being. Really, benefits are aimed at retaining talent and keeping employees productive at work. Jobs & pay/benefits are typically the first things slashed when financial hardships befall a company. But there is nothing wrong with choosing employers or switching jobs to find companies that offer benefits that are important to you! Just know perks and benefits can be cut.
Paradox:
We prioritize worker well-being.
- Really, benefits are aimed at retaining talent and keeping employees productive at work. Jobs & pay/benefits are typically the first things slashed when financial hardships befall a company. But there is nothing wrong with choosing employers or switching jobs to find companies that offer benefits that are important to you! Just know perks and benefits can be cut.
5. My Manager Knows Best
The Bad
I’ve talked to so many employees who believe their manager knows what’s best for them. Or they are staying at work just because of their manager. Which is funny to me because 6 out of 10 workers said a bad boss was their reason for quitting. While a manager does have significant impact on your workplace experience and job, it is ignorant to think your manager knows you best.
Remember, managers are employees too – a 2023 Gallup poll found managers are more likely than non-managers to be disengaged, burnt out and job hunting. Your manager only can control so much. The same Gallup poll found in 2023 managers reported:
- 64% said they were given additional responsibilities
- 51% cited their teams were restructured
- 42% had to deal with budget cuts
Additionally, managers do not receive substantial training or experience in people leadership.
- Wonderlic found that 57% of managers say they “learned their leadership skills through trial and error” and only 10% of senior leaders say “the training provided to first-line managers effectively prepares them.”
- Another Gallup poll found companies choose the wrong manager 82% of the time – and those managers account for 70% of variance in employee engagement.
The Good
First-line managers do have a significant impact of the workplace experience. A Gallup poll of more 1 million employed U.S. workers concluded that the primary reason people quit their jobs is because of a bad boss or immediate supervisor. 75% of workers who voluntarily left their jobs did so for reasons directly influenced by their line manager. The difference between a great work experience and a miserable one often does come down to your manager – so when you find a good one it can be tempting to stay for as long as possible!
Most managers are in position due to their technical expertise or corporate politics. So, you can and should go to your manager for technical aspects of your job or for networking within your corporation. Good managers can open up possibilities for exposure to other parts of the business and to other leaders. But when it comes to your interests, your career, you must own your conversation. Go find a mentor or career coach to talk through your long-term desires and goals.
Paradox:
Managers knows more than me and has earned and validated their position.
- In all likelihood, your manager was not chosen for people leadership skills and even less likely to have received any type of beneficial training to be a manager. You must push and stand for the things that are important to you!
We’ve only just started to peel back surface level claims from employers and can clearly see productivity and profit lie at the core. But this does not mean it’s a rotten core – it means you need to know what you’re eating! After all, if a company does not make money, it cannot stay in business.
You should leverage employer tactics to your own advantage – to supercharge your job, career, and most important ensure your well-being. All you need is a willingness to see reality, evaluate your situation, and take action!