A False Divide

The dominant theme for generations has been that we have two distinct halves to our existence, work and life, and the goal is to keep them as separate as possible.  Build a wall and live the dual life as best as you can.  We put on our professional masks and leave our emotions and our humanity at home. Sure, this is exhausting, but that’s why we have evenings and weekends – to rest up and get ready for more work, right?

We’ve tried to improve matters by waving the flag of “work/life balance”, but we may have inadvertently deepened the divide.

As Frederick Laloux, author of Reinventing Organizations, writes, the very use of the term, “work/life” is communicating that life is only found in half of that equation.

“Work/life balance” isn’t what we’re looking for. In that equation, life is only found in one half. Click To Tweet

We treat these as opposing realities that need to be weighed and measured on some cosmic scale in pursuit of the elusive balancing point.  If either tips too far, we’re either workaholics or lazy.  Constantly living with this low-grade guilt that we’re either not taking our career seriously enough, or we’re not giving enough time for family, friends, and personal health.

We spend most of our lives on this seesaw with the promise that one day we’ll be allowed to get off.  If we work hard enough, we might just be able to retire and have our whole life back again.

One problem, of course, is that balance is a myth.  It’s impossible to maintain and completely subjective in its definition.  Just when you think you’ve found it, you discover that your boss (or your family) has a different idea of what balance should look like.

The deeper, more pernicious problem is what we can justify once we’ve made that psychological disconnect.  If work is not life, then we’re free to focus our energies on productivity and efficiency without having to deal with pesky things like emotions, personal ambitions, fears, or relationships.  We don’t have to worry about what effect work is having on people’s mental or emotional health or whether or not we’re paying them a living wage.  Once they clock in, we’re completely justified in trying to get as much “out of” them as possible (is anyone putting something back in?).

When we separate work from life, we run the risk of separating people from their humanity.

But what if it doesn’t have to be this way? What if work and life don’t have to be so separated? What if, instead of being extractive, work could be a regenerative experience?

Call them idealistic, but this is the dream of today’s younger generations.

• Work can be a place to grow not only as productive labourers, but also as human beings.
• Work is a place to learn skills, but also character. A place to grow in assertiveness, courage, emotional intelligence, kindness, and forgiveness.
• Work can be meaningful and make a positive impact on the world.
• Work can help us accomplish our personal goals as well as the organization’s goals.
• Work doesn’t need to drain us and leave us needing to be recharged on evenings and weekends.
• Work can be sustainable and support mental, emotional, and physical health.
• Work can be a place where genuine friendships and community can form.

They believe that work can be more than work.

They believe that work and life are not two elements to be balanced, but one integrated whole.

“New grads are looking for an employee experience that is tailored for them.”

They want flexibility on when they work, where they work, and which projects they’re working on.

And, to be fair, they’re willing to be flexible for their employers as well.  75% of Gen Z are willing to relocate for work, and 58% believe it’s acceptable to work evenings and weekends.  If it means gaining greater autonomy on how they use their time, then working off-hours isn’t a hard sell.

Integration and turnover

As you can imagine, the occupational glass slipper they’re looking for isn’t easy to find.  Until they discover it, you can expect them to be more transient than previous generations.  They won’t be loyal to an employer for the sake of loyalty.

The 2016 Gallup report revealed that “21% of millennials report changing jobs within the last year, which is more than three times the number of non-millennials.” 

Fast forward to July, 2021 and this number is anticipated to jump as high as 33%.  According to a recent survey in Canada from global staffing firm Robert Half, this is how many Gen Z and Millennials reported plans to pursue a new job.  After 16 months of dealing with a pandemic, many employees are fatigued and taking the opportunity to rethink whether they’re in the right spot. 

While some are giving this trend overly dramatic titles such as “the Great Resignation”, the truth remains that many employers will likely be facing higher turnover in the next year.

As to why they’re leaving, 31 percent of Millennials in this study cited low morale, while 40 percent of Gen Z mentioned the desire for higher pay.

These two themes – morale and pay – are part of the wider categories of financial security and overall wellbeing, which pop up regularly in the research and are important components of how work integrates into the rest of our lives.

Integration and money

There’s no denying it, money is a high priority for Gen Z.  A study by XYZ University discovered that “2 in 3 Generation Zers would rather have a job that offers financial stability than one that they enjoy.” 

At first glance, this seems to dismantle the idealistic notion that they are looking for unique and meaningful jobs (turns out, they just want cash). However, it’s not as simple as this.  Higher levels of student debt, combined with lower wages that are typical for their life stage, are causing Gen Z to experience significant levels of anxiety over their ability to provide for themselves, let alone a family someday.  Many believe they’ll never be able to retire. 

Before you criticize, this isn’t just a matter of chasing too high a standard of living. Gen Z and Millennials have objectively lower levels of wealth than previous generations.  Despite this, a recent Deloitte survey revealed that Gen Z and Millennials are both financially prudent and literate, with rainy day savings of at least 3 months’ worth. 

In other words, they’re making some wise choices, but with higher student debt, increased cost of living, and less wealth than their parents, their anxiety over money is not entirely unwarranted.

As you can imagine, this financial stress can make the goal of work/life integration seem unattainable.  Without some feeling of stability, many non-work pursuits get put on hold. 

An interesting case study for this showed up in the last decade when CEO and tech founder, Dan Price, made the radical decision to give every employee in his Seattle-based company a minimum annual salary of $70k. 

While he had plenty of critics for this move (with commentators calling it a socialist experiment destined to fail), 5 years later, the company had doubled their customer base, tripled their revenue, and cut employee turnover in half.  The experiment isn’t failing yet.

The most intriguing results to Price, though, are what happened in the personal lives of his employees. 

• 10 times as many homes were bought.
• 10 times as many babies were born.
• Retirement contributions rose 155%.
• 70% of employees eliminated personal debt.

With a higher wage, employees were free to focus on other areas of their life like building a family and planning for the future. 

Their work allowed other areas of their life to flourish.

Now, paying everyone a minimum of $70k isn’t feasible for most companies, but the point remains:  The younger generation feels the squeeze and will gravitate towards companies that can help alleviate their stress over money.

“For those employees that were determined to be thriving, they “report significantly fewer health problems; less worry, stress, sadness, depression and anger; and more hope, happiness, energy, interest and respect.”

The traditional mindset would be that it is up to the employee to pursue wellbeing on their own time, but considering how much of our lives are spent in the workplace, this is simply unrealistic.  Many of the measurements of wellbeing are significantly impacted by the work environment.

The five elements that Gallup has determined to make up overall wellbeing include:

1. Career wellbeing – you like what you do every day.
2. Social wellbeing – you have meaningful friendships.
3. Financial wellbeing – you manage your money well.
4. Physical wellbeing – You have energy to get things done.
5. Community wellbeing – You like where you live.

Employers who recognize their role in helping their people thrive in these areas will have a clear advantage with today’s workforce.  With higher stress levels and an overall decrease in loyalty, the younger generation simply won’t put up with toxic work environments anymore.  I hope we can all agree, this is a good thing.

As Anne Helen Peterson, author of Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation, writes,

“It’s just bad policy to work your workers into the ground.”

Action steps for employers

For those looking to embrace the trend towards integration and reap the rewards of engaging the younger generation at work, there are plenty of ideas worth trying.

As always, start by simply having a conversation with the Millennials and Gen Z on your team.  There is a great deal of diversity within generations and not all of them will resonate with the trends showing up in the research.  Get to know your people personally.  Consider sharing this article with them and getting their feedback.

Once you’ve done that, here are a few other suggestions to try:

1. Talk about “the why”

As we discovered in the first shift, cultivating a sense of meaning and purpose in their work is crucial to the younger generation.  They need to see how their work adds value to their own life as well as positively impacting both their neighbourhood and planet.

This isn’t about “casting vision” as a leader, either.  We’re not trying to sell them something or get them to memorize a purpose statement that was created on some executive retreat – we’re trying to create space for real dialogue where individual and collective meaning can come together.

2. Upgrade bosses to coaches

In order to positively influence employee wellbeing, Gallup emphasizes,

“managers must be upskilled from boss to coach so that they can have honest, meaningful, developmental conversations with their team members. No wellbeing program will be effective until employees trust that their leaders and managers truly care about them as people.”

Considering that 70% of employee engagement metrics are related to a person’s relationship with their direct supervisor, investing in the development of your managers will be time and money well spent.

3. Figure out the remote/hybrid puzzle

A Deloitte study found that 60% of Millennials would like the option to work remote more often after the pandemic, and 7 out of 10 believe that a hybrid work model would reduce their stress levels.  According to Accenture, flexibility to handle all aspects of life is one of Gen Z’s top concerns.

Rushing into a flexible work model, though, could lead to coordination nightmares if it’s not planned well.  Hybrid, for instance, doesn’t mean everyone can come in whenever they want, but will likely include a combination of flex time and “core time”, where everyone is required to be in-person during certain times.  While remote work obviously isn’t possible in all industries (if you’re in construction, people just need to show up), every employer will benefit from finding creative ways to turn the dial up on flexibility and autonomy.

4. Encourage mental health days

Simone Biles recently became a hero to many people for her decision to miss out on a few Olympic events in Tokyo due to mental health concerns. This is just one example of how the younger generation today is willing to prioritize their psychological wellbeing.

Many others experience the same need in their workplaces but feel guilty asking for time off due to emotional or mental health reasons.  One suggestion is to give them the permission they need by expanding the scope of paid sick days to include care for mental as well as physical health.  Just as your body needs a rest some days, so does your brain, says Natalie C. Dattilo, a clinical health psychologist and an instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

5. Design jobs with flexibility in mind

Traditional job descriptions are often narrowly defined and tightly controlled, so that almost no one is the perfect fit.  Consider moving towards a more customized model, where individuals aren’t seen as having one job but as taking on a series of smaller roles.  Rather than a set of job titles, create a “role library” that more clearly reflects the diversity of work that is being done on a team.

This role-based model allows people to take on new roles which are better suited to their strengths, while trading away those that aren’t.  Too often, the only way to change what you do is to get a promotion or apply for a different position; both of which include a wholesale changeover of roles and responsibilities.  When you design your staffing structure based on roles instead of titles, an individual’s job can more gradually change over time.

Human beings aren’t static; they adapt, grow, and change.  Learn to design jobs that do the same.

6. Address the money issue

Until the basic desires for survival, safety, and comfort are met, it is difficult for us to engage in the greater pursuits of meaning, purpose, and wellbeing.  Only once we get out of the place of scarcity can we focus on building the career and lives that we want.  We are then free to ask questions like, do I like this type of work, does it use my strengths, and why is this important?

Setting a $70k minimum wage may be too extreme for most companies, but there are plenty of other creative options to pursue.  AES offered to move all of their hourly employees to salary, which reduces financial stress simply by offering greater stability and predictability.  ConvertKit operates a successful profit-sharing model.  Others have chosen to delay new hires in order to increase existing wages first.

Whatever the route, let’s be strategic and thoughtful in our compensation strategy and truly value the people who have chosen to work alongside us.

7. Implement a workplace mental health program

Designing a comprehensive strategy to support employee mental health can be a daunting task, especially for a small business with no dedicated HR staff, but the returns are worth the effort.  Not only does it improve the overall wellbeing of the employee, but it also improves the profitability of the company.  In a first-of-its-kind study for Canada, Deloitte found that companies with mental health programs for three years or more had an ROI of $2.18 for every $1 they spent on the program.  An investment in your people is ultimately an investment in your business.

If you don’t know where to start, consider adopting “the Standard”.  Launched in 2013, the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace is a “set of voluntary guidelines, tools and resources intended to guide organizations in promoting mental health and preventing psychological harm at work.”  It’s a free download, complete with implementation guide, so go check it out.

8. Model work-life integration

A leader has an outsized influence on workplace culture.  If you show up with your professional mask in place, consistently work overtime, never take days off, maintain a cool-distance from people, and never model vulnerability, that has a powerful shaping effect on the overall culture.  Open up and let your team see how work plays a meaningful and integrated role in your life as a manager.

9. Don’t undervalue friendships

Few things make you feel more like a robot at work than a lack of positive human interactions.  There is an age-old debate over how close you should let yourself get to your employees.  Let’s put that debate to bed.  When you build meaningful relationships, not only do you build trust and safety but you also come to better understand the unique strengths and motivators for each person.  This has been shown to increase both performance and workplace enjoyment.

Managers can also create the opportunities for genuine friendships to form between team members as well.  Though some feel this doesn’t fit into the traditional roles of a manager – planning, directing, and controlling – the best leaders will also master the art of creating community and belonging on their teams.

10. Honour the “right to disconnect”

While protecting employees’ time off is not yet legislated in North America, it can be a norm for your organization.  Create a value or a policy that limits the amount of emails and messages that can be sent during off-hours.  Stop rewarding people for hustling on a project over the weekend and start celebrating with those who are cultivating a life outside of work as well.

Bringing it all together

Supporting people as they learn to integrate work into the bigger picture of their life is a long-term, holistic effort that really encompasses all of the shifts that we’re seeing with the younger generation.

• When we emphasize meaning over money, we acknowledge the deeper drives that exist in human beings to do work that really matters.
• When we prioritize growth over promotion, we honour everyone’s need to develop and grow as both people and workers, regardless of their potential for “upward mobility”.
• When we elevate coaches over bosses, we stop relying on power and positional authority to control people and begin to influence people by cultivating trust and safety.
• When we see people as partners over employees, we dignify workers’ needs for responsibility and autonomy and start treating them as fellow collaborators working towards a shared purpose.

When we integrate work and life, we acknowledge that we only have one life and that every activity and venture, including our jobs, falls under that single umbrella.  As much as we can try to compartmentalize it, we only do damage to the overall quality of our life when we fail to see its connectedness.

This is not about a blurring of the lines, where we allow our careers to slowly consume an ever-greater percentage of our existence, but about creating a symbiotic relationship where work plays a vital and meaningful role in the greater ecosystem of our lives.

This is one trend I hope catches on.

What do you see?

This is the final entry in the Next-Gen at Work series, where I’ve attempted to articulate the shifts that we’re seeing in the research regarding Millennials and Gen Z in the workplace.  As always, generational and cultural trends are painting with a broad brush and will never be able to describe any one unique individual. The particular Gen Zers and Millennials in your life and workplace will not match these trends perfectly.

Knowing the broader trends is important, but there is no substitute for getting to know your people personally.  Your next step is simply to go and listen and engage in dialogue with the Gen Zers and Millennials on your team and in your life.

I’d love to hear what you learn.  Leave a comment or let’s start a conversation on social media.

Let’s keep learning together,

Dan