Unhealthy workplace cultures and poor decisions and trends are not a new phenomenon. But strategic choices about the workplace and embracing a diversity of worldviews can begin at any time and is a gamechanger when it comes to recruitment and retention. The evolution of workplace challenges in prior decades to today are examples of prominent business or organizational worldviews over time.

Workplace Challenges in Prior Decades

In recent decades, the most common workplace challenges were the growing prominence of the internet and advances in technology that required new training and adaptation. This was the predecessor of the fire-hose of information currently available with an increasing ability to manipulate data of all kinds, in good and bad ways and the growing impact of AI.

In the 1990’s, there were shifts in labour demand associated with trade and technology that resulted in considerable structural change in the economy. At the core of this, workers with more skills or experience were seen to be in greater demand, while other workers were left behind. At the same time, many firms were changing the way they managed their workforces, trying to adapt leadership and skills to being more collaborative with mixed results, especially as many companies reduced or eliminated budgets for training and development. When spoken or written intent is not aligned with actions, employees receive mixed messages, impacting trust and relationship, usually in harmful ways.

During this time, “downsizing” and “contracting out” became dominant buzzwords and more workers became disillusioned, with many turning to self-employment, which generally meant less stability in employment and income and may have been a precursor to the gig economy. These trends contributed to a growing distrust of corporate leadership and institutions and a disinclination of loyalty to organizations and companies that were not demonstrating loyalty to their employee base. Employees became more likely to job shop and look for career advancement by changing employers. The mantra “change jobs every five years” became a common belief.

Modern Workplace Challenges

The modern workplace is now facing new and unprecedented challenges. Predominant among them is the decline in the number of people available for work due to the aging out of Baby Boomers and post pandemic decisions by many to leave the workforce. While the aging out of Baby Boomers has been predicted for decades for anyone paying attention to demographic trends, not many companies prepared for this eventuality.

The arrival of the pandemic in 2020 and its considerable and lasting impact on people, trust, relationships, communication, the workplace and the economy were less predictable, but just as powerful an influence. It sped up Boomer retirements and caused many people to either drop out of the workforce or look for different forms of employment. It required quick decisions and action, and innovation that was driven by necessity. In this post-pandemic era, many companies have tried to return to a “pre-pandemic norm”, which is an important factor in decisions employees are making now, especially with respect to flexibility in the workplace.

All of this and more has contributed to a strong competition for talent. The desire for greater worldview flexibility and choice in workplace structures like in-person, remote and hybrid work, has been fueled as a result of the pandemic experience. There is pressure from employees, customers and investors for values-driven workplaces and an increasing desire of employees for work that is meaningful, flexible and rewarding. People want to work in environments where they feel valued, where their contribution matters and where they have some degree of input into or influence over decisions that impact their work. More than any other time in modern history, current and potential employees have a wider range of options available to them. A healthy workplace culture initiative results in a competitive advantage for a company, organization, department or team that embarks on and sustains such an initiative.

Worldview Intelligence and Healthy Workplace Cultures

Worldview Intelligence patterns, practices, frameworks and knowledge all support your ability to create and sustain a healthy and strategic workplace culture.  We’d love to talk to you about how.