the eradication of the traditional workplace

Gen Z are spearheading the movement away from traditional work culture because the compensation for working hard hasn't changed, but the goal-posts for a happy and healthy lifestyle have moved miles. As younger people get further up the corporate ladder, new ideas about work patterns will be coming into effect to respond to the economic shift. And of course, this invites resistance from older generations who can't see beyond their own ignorance. 

It used to be understood that loyalty to a company was more important than performance, and you could easily become a martyr around your office if you're willing to work the same job for 10+ years. The done thing was to leave school, get a job, and stay there until you retire. Further and higher education are much more accessible now, which has altered the value but it has also opened a new world of workplace culture that rewards ambition and doesn't expect you to work at the same level until the day you die.

Many workplaces adopt a long service policy which awards their employees after each 5-year incremental milestone, including my current employer. Every month, I receive an email commending the staff who have hit their 5th-30th anniversary at the company. Every month, I read this email with utter distain and delete promptly. Maybe I hate my job (I do) but if I get close enough to being named in the long service email blast, I'm jumping off the roof. Trust me, I'm friends with the site team. I know how to get up there. 

Being on the other side of the interview process has also opened my eyes to the way in which employer preferences to employment history have changed. Loyalty is less important to a hiring panel than personal development, within reason obviously, but progression, or at least an evident willingness to pursue progression, is an important indicator of an interviewees work ethic. Admittedly, there isn't always a clear path for progression, but there are different things that signify the same aspect of need for professional and personal growth; like training, internships, work experience and volunteering. The issue with these is that they come at the cost of the individual for the benefit of the employer. 

Beyond long service, the traditional patterns of work are changing. Employers no longer expect their staff to be chained to their desk between the hours of 9am and 5pm, Monday through Friday. There's whispers of a 4-day working week throughout the lands of Indeed, but not many companies are brave enough to champion it confidently. Flexible hours and hybrid working were invented to better fit work around the rest of people's lives, but particularly for those with children. The issue is that young people don't want kids, or at least a lot less of them do. But quite honestly, the landscape has changed entirely. My priorities are not the same as what my parents' priorities were at my age, but we're still trying to fit the same parameters onto employees, rather than hearing what they want and facilitating it. 

The next change in culture I am desperate for is the behaviour around senior management. Every company has it's own structure, but the bigger the company, the bigger the gap between the top and the bottom of the chain. I'm not under the impression that the CEO should know the name of everyone who works on reception, but I do expect them to be willing to listen to them.

In my experience, senior management are not to be questioned, and neither are the decisions they make that impact the day-to-day operations of other people. What happens when someone from your department asks you to do something that isn't your job? You push back and signpost to the person whose job it actually is. What happens when someone from senior management asks you to do something that isn't your job? You do it anyway, signalling to them that you're willing to work outside of your role responsibilities for no extra compensation, that you are scared of the power they have over you, and that they can ask you to do anything and you won't say no. It isn't insubordination to query decisions made by people who get paid more than you; it's the responsibility of managers and leaders to encourage feedback and make sure everyone in their company is heard. 

The world of work is changing because our relationship with our own time is changing too. A payslips doesn't stretch as far as it used to, so knuckling down and grinding your way through doesn't benefit people the same way anymore. Our priorities in life are shifting and the longer organisations stay attached to traditional business culture, the shorter their lifespan will end up being. Personally, I think we should reject capitalism all together and abandon our jobs, live off the land and wash our clothes in a river. But that's just me.