“…And the strategy begat the tactics.
And the tactics begat the objectives.
That begat the tasks.
That begat the people in cubicles
who no longer begat children
because they’re working all weekend
trying to finish the *@#$-
assignments they’ve been given…”
-The Cluetrain Manifesto
Amazon lists 349,691 books on relationships, 162,082 of which deal with relationships in the workplace. But few titles focus on the changing relationship we have with our work. New research suggests that our jobs often cause stress, illness and even death.
Annual Costs of Work Related Stress:
- $300B of absenteeism, reduced productivity levels and employee turnover,
- Contributes to 120,000 deaths, and
- +$190B related U.S. Healthcare Costs.
- 51% of employed workers are either actively seeking or open to a new job and
- Over a third of you will change jobs every 5 years.
- Younger employees, those with less formal education and high wage earners arelikely to change jobs more often,
- 75% of job turnover is related to quality-of-life issues,
- 13% of turnover can be attributed to poor relationships with their supervisor, manager and/or colleague, and
- Replacing an employee typically costs 120-200% of the salary of that employee.
People are changing jobs, though a recent survey indicated that people view the process to be more difficult than doing your taxes, dealing with a car salesman, refinancing your home or planning a wedding.
Just a few generations ago, there was an implied social contract between workers and the organizations in which they worked.
Show up.
Do the job our way.
Don’t make waves and
you’ll have a job for life.
NO MORE!
Outsourcing, right-shoring, downsizing and variable cost models summarily cancelled that social contract with no replacement. Next week we’ll examine what the new social contract might look like and what you can do to protect and advance your career when your next opportunity may not be a promotion to a corner office but an exit across town.
