A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post called The key to job satisfaction in a post-pandemic world. My theory was it wouldn't be hybrid work, a pay cheque, benefits or perks that would make people satisfied at work, it would be the work itself.
I now believe I had it half right. The other half of the equation is autonomy.
Autonomy at work can mean many things. It can mean the ability to direct your own work, manage your own schedule, and decide when and where you work.
Workers today are demanding more autonomy over their work. And if a company isn't willing to meet them halfway, they're leaving in droves.
It's no surprise many companies return to work programs and mandates have been utter failures. In "Forget Flexibility, Your Employees Want Autonomy", a Harvard Business Review study found that 59% of workers said they would not work for a company that required them to come into a physical office five days per week. The study researchers concluded, "Mandates feel like a violation of autonomy, which is one of the most important intrinsic drivers of threat and reward in the brain."
Sadly, some companies have resorted to monitoring employees in an attempt to maintain control in remote working environments. But another study has shown that this can backfire, because employees resent the lack of trust and autonomy.
In "Your Employer is Watching: How surveillance of employees by their employers is undermining the future of work, the Toronto Star reported on a Glassdoor survey of 2,300 North American professionals that found 41% reported feeling less productive when monitored. Surveillance exacerbated stress, eroded trust and hindered performance.
The article cited another Harvard Business Review study that found employees who otherwise would have been model employees were more likely to engage in various "rule-breaking behaviours" when monitored.
The message to employers is clear. Workers today want a say in the work we do and how we work in a work environment that values autonomy and trust over surveillance.
Beware the company that ignores the will of the masses.
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