Today’s work reality calls for a realignment of expectations between employers and employees.
Modern workers are skeptical of the traditional employee-employer relationship. Today’s workforce needs a Sprite moment. Let me explain.
In the 1990s the Coca-Cola company launched a new type of advertising campaign for its lemon-lime soda. The new commercials were self-referential, and self-deprecating. They depicted, among others, NBA star Grant Hill making fun of himself for getting paid to shill Sprite, rather than pretending that the drink empowered his basketball abilities. These commercials were designed for an audience growing skeptical of over-the-top marketing hype. Coca-Cola's campaign was a tacit acknowledgement that it knew its audience was smart enough to distinguish reality from marketing speak, even if it was going to keep advertising to them anyway. The ads were wildly successful.
There are clear parallels between the quiet quitters of today and the Gen Xers Sprite was marketing to 30 years ago. Back then, it was claims about the magic of flavored sugar water, today it is equally banal slogans about changing the world or half-hearted commitments to racial and gender equity – .
Both groups can sense that they are being misled, if not outright lied to. Many workers are treated as though they are replaceable, remain underpaid, and feel generally under-appreciated. And boardrooms and C-suites are still exceedingly white and male. They know that they are part of a “family” when the going is good and just a part of “doing business” when they get laid off. And worst of all, they know they are the only ones who will say so.
Today’s workers in their prime are faced with staggering challenges: a polarized society, growing disparities between the rich and the poor, and a climate that has passed a level of irreversible devastation no matter how hard we try, not to mention a global pandemic. All of these, capped off by the Pandemic that killed millions, have brought into focus questions of what really is important in life. Many feel forced to draw a line between personal life and work.
Yet this does not mean that work cannot be fulfilling, meaningful, and even joyous. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – that’s what many people want work to be. Contrary to what many leaders will complain, workers aren’t entitled and their demands aren’t outrageous. Rather they are part of a reckoning that is demanding a new type of honesty and workplace transparency.
This is an opportunity. Business leaders need to cut through the hype and embrace the kind of transparency that made the Sprite campaign so successful in the 90s. Leaders can capitalize on this global inflection point by embracing today’s work culture instead of ignoring what is evident to every employee.
There are some ways that leaders of modern companies can make a culture that is impactful and real.
Cool it with the aspirational talk.
Most businesses are not actually changing the world, or “elevating the world's consciousnes,”. While studies have shown that workers and consumers alike are looking for businesses that share their values, businesses can still be realistic in their pronouncements instead of hopelessly aspirational. Many businesses do, in fact, do important work, but much like Sprite drinkers did in the 90’s, today’s employees are allergic to hype. This is not to discount a company’s Mission, Purpose, or Values – they are more important than ever, but most companies will do well to keep them realistic, honest, and jargon-free.
Show, don’t tell.
Make real inroads towards Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Many companies have made significant commitments to DEI in the workplace. They have rightfully put diversity and inclusion front and center of their external and internal messaging, and promised to do more to build an equitable economy. It’s not only the right thing to do (and long overdue); studies have shown that diversity in the workforce leads to happier work cultures, more productive workers, and better business results, yet this is a prime example where actions speak louder than words.
Commitments are great but real impact demands a multi-faceted and nuanced approach. DEI commitments need to be supported by an organizational infrastructure that spans all seniority levels, adds teeth to commitments, and is nuanced enough to see between to call out discrimination even when it doesn’t show up in the data. Of course data is critical too. Companies that do DEI right measure (and report!) their progress, they track employee well-being, and they change course when necessary. They hire diverse leadership and boards at the same time that build out systems that lift up the newest of employees.
Transparency is good, actually.
Transparency in the workplace can mean a lot of things: from good communication between management and employees to openly available salary to clearly set goals and strategy. Across the board, the more of it there is, the better. Open communication makes for a happier, less tense workplace, while clear salary and benefits information leads to equity and fairness by putting any potential disparities right in the open.
This type of transparency is also helpful in the hiring process as prospective employees seek out organizations that cut through the BS and present themselves as honest and trustworthy. Much as they expect employers to cut out the empty inspirational talk, they want to know what will be expected of them and what they can expect from the employer. You can talk a big game about creating a great work environment, but it means nothing without facts and actions to back it up.
Back in the 90s, Sprite’s campaign capitalized on a growing aversion to empty hype. And the response was hugely successful – it inspired an industry-wide shift in advertising tone and led to almost a decade of increased soda sales. There’s an analogous opportunity in front of today’s employers.
Leaders should take this time for what it is: a chance to redefine organizational culture for the better. They can appreciate that while, indeed, times have changed, together they can build a more truthful, flexible, and transparent workplace. By putting in the work to update their business cultures, leaders may find that it’s not that people don’t want to work, it’s that they are looking for a more honest recognition of their roles and an acknowledgment that work is work and life is life.
