An old adage says that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is today.
I keep reading articles and hearing conversations about the insanity of the job market right now. Businesses are scrambling to figure out how to retain – or when they haven’t, to hire – great people. And it all comes back to the trees.
Anecdotally, it seems like the businesses that have – and stick to – core values or principles are holding steady or even thriving. When covid forced (or allowed) us all to take a hard look at our lives, people stayed with and doubled-down on their loyalty to the employers that took care of them and who generally do good in the world.
Businesses that don’t, however, are feeling the burn. People are leaving in droves for workplaces that allow them to work in a way where they can also manage their life necessities, and increasingly people (especially the younger generations) hold a strong expectation that businesses are standing up for what’s right (though this can be highly debated based on what each of us thinks is right).
So in short, businesses, you’re being put on notice: If you didn’t plant the trees (deciding what you stand for) back when you started, find a sapling and some dirt and start digging (define and start sticking to those values). Here are a couple commonly espoused values that are worth revisiting if you’re not hiring or retaining well:
People-first: If you put your people first, work is not about “face time” and people aren’t penalized for needing to handle things within that traditional “9-5”. People-first looks like letting people claim their schedule, and holding them accountable to their commitments.
Transparency: If you value transparency but give a boiler-plate vague statement about your pay and benefits, you’ve missed the boat. Transparency looks like making publicly available every salary of every employee.
Results-oriented: If your “results-oriented” goals have any mentions of HOW those results are created, they’re process-oriented (and likely micro-managed). Results-oriented looks like articulating clear outcomes or impacts without indicating which road map should be used to get those.
It’s never too late to get on board, today’s as good as any other day!
