Hello from Hamburg,
Recently, a human resources manager told me that, at the initiative of employees, his company had introduced a “karma booklet” to increase appreciation in the workplace. Anyone who wants to show appreciation to a colleague collects appreciation points in a sticker album. At the end of the year, it becomes clear who the “points queen” is.
As much as my conversation partner advocates for appreciation among the staff, he is just as surprised by the childish tool (it reminded him of the “good work” stickers in elementary school notebooks) and the dedication with which a working group is now devoting five hours a week to designing the album—all while the economic challenges the company must overcome in the current crisis are mounting. Further demands follow, for example on the vexing topic of working from home. Efforts by company management to bring employees back to the office more often are thwarted by disarmingly candid arguments such as: “I can’t keep up with the housework if I have to come into the office more often.” And: “We’d much rather feel like we’re working on the beach in Fuerteventura.”
This isn’t an isolated case, judging by what I’m hearing in companies these days. An employee on sick leave for two weeks: “I have to get well again because I’m going on vacation next week.” An employee’s response to his manager’s question about why he deserves a raise: “I’ve been working really hard these past few months.” Salespeople who, despite failing to meet mutually agreed-upon targets, are outraged by their lower-than-expected bonuses: “I gave it my all, and now this.” Managers who are trying to extrapolate their company-related bonus component because, after many years of strong performance, 2023 threatens to be the first year with weaker revenue and margins. The fact that a variable salary component is variable not only in good times but also in bad seems to be beyond their comprehension. And a common comment regarding the recent train drivers’ strike was: “We should also demonstrate for a 35-hour workweek and refuse to work.”
I’m noticing this stark contradiction between economic reality and the mood within companies more and more often. On the one hand, in light of the current accumulation of crisis phenomena, many companies are turning everything upside down, overhauling business models, cutting costs, boosting efficiency, investing in the unknown, and trying to cope with declining revenue and returns. In the process, company management and executives are under considerable pressure, often pushed beyond their limits. On the other hand, I’m seeing employees placing high demands on their organizations, focusing on their own needs and benefits, while remaining disconnected from the corporate and economic challenges we’re facing.
How does this all fit together? Is this a denial of reality and a retreat into the private sphere in the face of a world shaken by war, crisis, and climate change? Or is it perhaps, secretly, even an expression of the desire for more direction through clearer leadership that sets boundaries? What responsibility do we, as leaders, bear for this defensive posture? Have we, in recent years, been so focused on meeting people’s needs out of fear of losing good employees that we have effectively invited our colleagues to engage in a paralyzing preoccupation with themselves?
Perhaps it would help if we were more transparent about the difficult decisions we face and if we gave employees a greater sense of shared responsibility. Perhaps that would foster resilience—to avoid using the overused buzzword “resilience.” Robustness among employees who recognize that reality demands a sense of reality, moderation, standing together, and active solidarity with the company and their colleagues: appreciation even without a “karma booklet.” But it’s also about resilience among leaders, who should be reminded that leadership—especially in difficult times—means generating and withstanding resistance, confronting stagnation, and taking the heat.
Am I off the mark with my observation that the longing for the workplace as an oasis of well-being is growing? And if not, what do you attribute that to?
