“The work we do no longer suits the kind of human beings we are” says Theodore Zeldin, a historian.
He tells us that the revolution in education has affected all of us, but it is a double- edged sword. On the one hand almost the entire world is more educated in some way or another, more curious, more ambitious and more critical. This in turn makes us all more demanding and we are all encouraged to be more ambitious than our parents. We are a generation that has gone beyond that of simply finding a job that pays the living wage.
It seems that the continued population explosions have complicated matters, resulting in new kinds of work invented to meet the needs of more people competing for insufficient jobs, first agriculture, then industry, then the service sector and then public sector roles and now we find ourselves with a billion young people coming into the world of work, for whom there are no obvious jobs and an economy dedicated to cutting labour costs.
Finally, the elusive quest for greater ‘efficiency’ continues to bring relentless pressure on those that do work, plenty of futile meetings, red tape, over-complex legislation and less of the pleasure of a worthwhile task completed using all one’s skills with achievements properly recognised.
Employers today want recruits who will fit into existing organisations and systems, but that’s directly at odds with how most younger people are now taught to develop and express their individual personalities .They no longer just obey and conform and why should they?
So there is a real dilemma, a collision waiting to happen. Old style work ethics that still prevail today constrain us- we don’t want or need to go into the office to do ‘our job’ but culturally, that’s the expectation. We question the boss. As a soon-to-be graduate, we skip the job application and write directly to the CEO. And so it goes on. The answer? At the heart of every evolution (or revolution) has been the need for individuals to be recognised and appreciated for their contributions and achievements. Fear of change and fear of losing control is what stops us from facing up to how the way we used to work should be well and truly relegated to the past and new ways of working, including entering into the debate and challenges from the ‘new kids’ on the block, should be encouraged and embraced before it’s too late.
For further information contact Melvin Day at mday@marketingmoves.com and follow us on Twitter @marketingMMoves
