Attitudes are changing and with them so are the ways we work
According to my beloved Gran, her working life was not much different to that of my mother. They both worked in an office, they both had their own cubicle and they both had the same gripes about their manager and the way their office was run. When my time came to get to work, I was prepared for much of the same, and to some degree I saw it. However, over the past few years though we’ve seen attitudes slowly change and many of the old rigid management styles have changed along with them.
The term “Millennials” gets thrown around a lot these days, and it’s this new wave of workers that are widely credited rapidly changing the workplace, not being satisfied with the way things currently are. Management of businesses was feeling ever more outdated as workers with new values and different mentalities began to populate the workplace. With surveys showing up to about 50% of people saying they’ve left a job to get away from their manager, it seems these changes aren’t coming a moment too soon! So what changes are they bringing with them and, more importantly, why should you care?
New companies (and forward thinking old ones) are more likely to do away with the cubicles. This might seem like a small (even insignificant) change, but the impact it has can be huge. Not being isolated makes communication much easier. Far from just making it easier to gossip, being able to interact with your colleagues promotes a more collaborative effort on projects. Working closely with team members is great for team moral as well helping projects stick to their deadlines. This is great news as a team will be happier, and a happier team means a better work ethic.
These companies are also more likely to be more flexible in many ways when it comes to their employees. Maybe it’s in the form of a more relaxed dress code, or less stringent hours of operation. Most importantly though, they’re more likely to allow for more flexible working conditions. There’s loads of ways that employers can allow their employees to work flexibly but instead of going into them here, we’ve got another article you can read on the subject here. It should go without saying that flexible working is the way forward in achieving a work-life balance for you while still keeping your employer happy.
These new attitudes that management are adopting are quickly becoming more common place. The rigid rules of old are taking a back seat in favour of the more flexible “millennial mentality” which not only works for employees, it is much more efficient for the business. From office workers all the way through to individuals in the army, these changes are being felt and we’re all happier for it.
If you think it’s about time your boss got with the programme, or you just want some advice on how to bring this up with them, have a read of our article here. Otherwise, don’t feel stuck with your current situation! Look for your job share partner today and begin working more flexibly!