Future of work | Performance and engagement: Why the workplace is evolving

Job satisfaction is one of the bugbears of the 21st century. We’re awash with statistics which tell us that western economies are plagued with unengaged workers, plodding glumly to the office to do the bare minimum possible.

On top of this, we know that our societies are ageing. We’re having fewer children. No longer can we look forward to an ever-growing procession of bright young minds to refresh our workforces. We need to do more with what we have.

These are not HR issues. These are CEO issues. Organisations need to think carefully about how they attract talent, how they develop new leaders and the opportunities they offer. To do this, they need to get to grips with engagement.

This plays into an old preconception about what people find engaging and motivating, and it’s something we’ve been talking about for a long time. Historically, the assumption is that pay motivates people. And while we all get up in the morning with the ultimate aim of paying the mortgage and feeding ourselves and our families, research tends to show us that pay as a motivator offers diminishing returns of engagement. Now, in 2019, we know that the world of work has an awful lot more to offer us than an annual 3% pay rise, if indeed we’re lucky enough to get that. We see - even if we’re not offered it ourselves - that some organisations take work/life balance seriously; they offer the chance to work remotely; they promote recognition and give clear and frequent feedback. These things are almost the exact opposite of the annual review (where tension builds for weeks and ends either with the short-term fillip of a raise / bonus or disappointment). This is about getting the environment right, and reminding your people, every day, that they’re valued and that the organisation needs their support to achieve its wider goals.