Sick Days In America
Seems to be this tug and pull between employees and leadership/management about getting back into the office is still on the “front burner.” I'm not indicating anybody is wrong or mischievous, but I'm seeing it in many, many places.
With clients, I'm having more and more conversations with chief development officers regarding their staff and how they are requesting more and more time off. At the same time, there was a recent article in the Washington Post that indicated that more than 100,000 Americans missed work in October alone because of childcare problems. In particular, there was a realization that when kids can't go to school because they're sick, there are very few options for parents to actually be able to work. And when you add in the fact that more and more organizations, both nonprofit and for-profit, are demanding employees come back to the office either in a hybrid model or in totality, we have immense pressures on the employment market.
What does all of this mean?
It means it's going to be a challenging few years for leadership in organizations. The new generation of workers, commonly called millennials, has a different set of values when it comes to working. I'm not saying that they don't want to work hard, but they work differently. Flexibility and finding organizations that match up to their own personal value set, including how much to work, are critical. And I've certainly recognized through my clients that many people realized new opportunities in being closer to home, having had to work from there during the pandemic. And let's be honest. If you've ever been in Los Angeles during rush hour, can you blame someone for not wanting to drive an hour and a half one way to work and then another 90 minutes home, losing three hours per day to the car?
As I've said many times, I'm old school. I get up every morning take a shower and head to the office. But that doesn't make it right for everybody. The challenge is going to be able to find balance. How do you allow your employees to maximize their efficiencies while at the same time building a culture surrounding your mission or organizational ethos? I'm not sure I have the answer. But with this like most things, my guess is the answer is that both sides are going to have to give up a little bit to get to a reasonable final result.
