THE FUTURE OF WORK

THIS YEAR’S GFOABC CONFERENCE WAS A WONDERFUL CHANCE TO RECONNECT WITH COLLEAGUES AND TACKLE SOME TOUGH TOPICS. MY PRESENTATION ON THE FUTURE OF WORK CENTERED ON ORGANIZATIONAL EMPLOYEE VALUE PROPOSITIONS (EVPS) AND THEIR IMPORTANCE ON ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TALENT. HERE ARE SOME TAKEAWAYS THAT I HOPE WILL SERVE AS CRITICAL REMINDERS AS YOU WORK TO DEVELOP OR ENHANCE YOUR OWN EVPS.

First of all, it’s important to acknowledge that “employee value proposition” isn’t some new age mumbo jumbo: research clearly shows that effective EVPs elevate the employee experience to levels comparable with customer experience—which has long been a key benchmark of organizational success. But it is a fresh way of understanding the meaning and value of work, and it means that things like diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is everyone’s responsibility.

In other words, today’s successful workplaces not only offer flexibility, personal growth and well-being—they’re also highly purpose-driven. These traits are becoming basic table stakes for any employer, as are their positions on environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. It’s of no surprise, then, that the future of work is focused on the employer-employee social contract. In this light, your EVP will determine whether top talent wants to join your organization in the first place, the extent to which they will perform at their best, and whether they will stay with you.

It’s a qualitative shift, really. Instead of counting hours, you’re focusing on goals. Because there’s something else we have to face: employees are unwilling to return to the pre-COVID paradigm of vertical and hierarchical workplaces. That’s what the “Great Resignation” was all about. Today’s talent wants to operate on shared purpose—the ability not just to grow professionally but also to have a positive impact on each other and their communities, and even the larger world we all share.

This also means that the focus is no longer wholly on the employee purely as employees. Leaders are understanding that traditional ways of communicating and engaging with their people isn’t working post-COVID. Authority is simply no longer conferred by virtue of a title but rather through the ability to connect genuinely and intentionally around a shared purpose where everyone contributes—and not merely according to the strict terms of their job descriptions and the hours they log.

Psychology has come a long way since its nascent beginnings in the late 1800s. One thing we’ve learned is that denying people choice is equivalent to hijacking their amygdala—the brain’s response to a threat. When we lack choice, our ability to interpret information accurately is shut down and all our modalities are focused on eliminating that threat. Choice, you might say, is everything.

The philosopher Jacques Derrida’s work in psychology encourages us to “think differently than we think.” The bottom line is therefore this: the future of work is about so much more than allowing employees to work from home. It’s about working with your people to build that future together.

DR. HILARY CURRY leads the People & Change Practice for KPMG in Vancouver. For over 20 years, she has been helping organizations navigate their people and organization challenges. Her approach to working with clients is based on her extensive experience working internally and she brings a common-sense cultural lens to real-world challenges.