With over 2.8 million members and growing, the antiwork subreddit has gained considerable traction in the post-Covid landscape. This movement, along with phenomena such as “quiet quitting” and “acting your wage,” challenges traditional notions of work and workplace structure under capitalism. In particular, the “anti work” subreddit criticizes the prevalence of exploitative workplace conditions, questioning the necessity of many jobs. While not all supporters of the anti work movement possess anarchist or communist ideologies, many share frustrations over inadequate compensation, demanding workloads, and poor management.
Such frustrations came to head in 2021-2022, with the “Great Resignation” in which a record number of employees resigned from their jobs. Although the majority of the nearly 72 million employees that quit their jobs in the period of April 2021 to April 2022 may not have been directly associated with the “anti-work” movement, it seems that a growing “anti-work” sentiment is in the air.
Many employers feel frustrated with this growing phenomenon, and the seeming lack of impetus of young workers to remain in their positions. Yet perhaps the age of “anti work” may be a pivotal moment for employers to reassess workplace practices and environments. Employers are in a unique position to invoke change in the workforce. By prioritizing employee wellbeing, employers may be able to reduce turnover rates, increase productivity, and reduce growing skepticism towards traditional work structures. Here’s how to be a better boss in the age of anti-work.
Begin on the Right Foot in the Hiring Process
Finding good help in the age of anti-work begins with the hiring process. By creating and implementing straight-forward hiring process, employers will naturally attract hard-working, motivated, and skilled employees for their positions. Being responsive and communicative with future employees while further motivating and exciting them to work for your company, as well as set an important precedent for workplace standards.
Nearly half of interviewed workers have been ghosted by employers, with 61% of workers citing a lack of communication from an employer as a reason to pull out of a job search process. High quality applicants don’t want to apply for a company that has a reputation for “ghosting” applicants or fails to provide prospective employees with information. Bad experiences with companies regarding the job search can spread quickly via word of mouth and on sites like Glassdoor, making it harder for employers to find enthusiastic and quality talent.
Be sure to communicate promptly with prospective employees regarding the interview selection process, answering any questions or concerns. Automated text or email software may help employers with large amounts of applicants keep candidates in the loop.
During the application process, be sure to set clear expectations for a role and its requirements. Be transparent about salary expectations during the hiring process as to avoid any miscommunications and manage expectations. Having ambiguity regarding job expectations and salary can easily snowball into later issues–an employer may feel as though an employee is not fulfilling job expectations, while said employee may be unaware of what is expected.
Offer Competitive Compensation and Benefits
Starting off with a straightforward hiring process can attract many high-quality potential employees to your company–yet providing competitive compensation and benefits is crucial to retainment.
Only 32% of employees feel as though they are being compensated fairly and adequately for their work. When employees feel underpaid and under appreciated, it’s often natural for them to minimize their effort in their roles and seek better wages elsewhere in the future. By offering competitive compensation and benefits, employers can motivate employees and bolster morale–leading to high quality work in return.
Regularly analyzing employee wages compared to market rate is a good way to ensure that your employees are being compensated fairly. By regularly analyzing employee wages, employers can also be sure there are not significant wage gaps across gender or racial lines as well. Adjusting wages annually can also increase employee retention, as employees that feel as though their work is valued and appreciated.
Additionally, benefits are becoming more and more important to employees. Some employees desire flexible working from home, while others highly value comprehensive health care plans or generous vacation time. It may be valuable to conduct surveys when developing benefits packages, or having flexible benefit options. Offering competitive benefits can be a powerful way of boosting employee morale and well-being, leading to natural increases in productivity.
Valued and adequately compensated employees are more likely to remain committed to your company and produce their best work!
Prevent Burn Out
Research has shown that burnt-out employees are often the least productive. Burnout in the workplace often stems from intense stress, lack of support from management, and feeling underappreciated in the workplace. Burnout has become a large contributor to the “anti-work” sentiment, as many feel disillusioned with jobs that seem to encourage overworking and prioritize profit over employees’ well-being.
As an employer, you should aim to communicate regularly with employees regarding workload and stress levels. Of course, with many jobs, there are times and periods of high-stress such as around seasonal holidays or major deadlines, but employees should not feel regularly consumed by stress. It may be helpful to schedule monthly “check-ins” or set up an anonymous suggestion box.
Allow employees to establish a healthy work-life balance and boundaries within the workplace without fear of retribution. Healthy work-life balances can be supported by offering generous sick leave and vacation time, as well as allowing the opportunity for remote work if possible.
Be realistic with employee expectations
Additionally, it’s important to manage expectations realistically as an employer. As many employers are self-described workaholics, it can be difficult to accept that many employees may not have the same passion for work or their particular role. For many employees, a job is simply that–a job.
While going above and beyond in the workplace is always appreciated, expecting employees to exceed expectations can foster dissatisfaction and cause burnout. Be mindful of whether or not you (subconsciously or not) expect your employees to work beyond stated expectations. Embrace diversity in regards to workplace attitudes and avoid holding employees to unrealistic standards.
Allow employees to flourish
Employees that feel supported in the workplace typically are less likely to suffer burnout, be more productive, and generally feel more impetus to show up and produce quality work.
Avoid micromanaging employees, and provide employees with the trust, room, and support needed to complete tasks. Empowering employees promotes feelings of responsibility and ownership within their work, often increasing motivation and job satisfaction.
Employees can also flourish when shown appreciation. Be sure to celebrate and appreciate employees’ contributions and accomplishments – both within the workplace and outside of it. Gratitude may go a long way in boosting workplace morale and reigniting one’s spark for work. You can show gratitude through a simple “thank you” or by sending out personalized emails or “shouting-out” an employee at a meeting.
In addition to simply telling employees you appreciate them–show them! Create clear career pathways within your organization that allow employees to move through the ranks based on merit and accomplishment. It may also be helpful to meet with employees one-on-one to discuss employees’ goals and aspirations to better understand where they are at – perhaps they prefer to continue in their position for the foreseeable future or would like to become the next CEO! Understanding individual employee goals can allow employers to support employees, and allow them to succeed in their personal goals.
Empower & Motivate
Being an employer in the age of anti-work can often be frustrating, as many employers feel as though it is nearly impossible to find and/or retain motivated workers. Rather than creating narratives that characterize modern workers as “lazy” or “entitled,” employers can focus on their unique position in the workplace to further empower and support workers–both in and out of the workplace.
