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global pandemic Taught us to look at professional relationships differently. discuss about remote work The work dynamic that had been consolidated for at least three centuries since the Industrial Revolution gained global prominence and challenged. The debate questions whether old work habits still have a place in contemporary reality. Currently, those who work and have knowledge in the most dynamic sectors want accelerated education, recognition, autonomy.
Staying in one place for a long time became rare. It may also be because the number of job options today is much higher than before (even if the number of salaried jobs is reduced). By early 2022, nearly half of employees (49%) intended to change companies. Late remuneration, new education, personal fulfillment and quality of life appear as the main reasons. The data is included in the 18th edition of the Robert Half Confidence Index, which interviewed more than a thousand professionals.
The voluntary resignation movement of millions around the world has also earned the title of “The Great Resignation” in the United States. The turnover is insane and reminds me of the metro turnstile in Estaço da Se in downtown So Paulo, during peak hours. And managers are worried about so many transfers. According to a study by PwC Consultancy with C-level executives, more than three quarters of the respondents (77%) said that the ability to hire and retain talent is one of the biggest challenges for companies this year. For nearly half (48%) of them, failing in this area could jeopardize the growth of companies in 2022.
Not only youth are involved in this new scenario. I watch some change with fear, especially from more experienced people migrating from large companies to startups. Most of these professionals do not have the flexibility and elasticity to adapt to the dynamics of young companies. They run to pass the turnstiles and change trains, but don’t know where they are going.
People who were born before 1990 and have experience in a traditional company, tend to have a well-defined corporate background – structured processes, well defined resources, clear routines, accuracy, some slowness in operations, errors and redundancies. : Very little space for work. The objective is incremental daily profit and medium and long term returns. Business models tend to be more stable, the “plane is in the air, just fly at cruising speed” sentiment.
At a startup, business models are constantly built, in the spirit of “always keep the plane in the air”. With the expectation of exponential gains from differentiated and “disruptive” projects, the pursuit of accuracy paves the way for speed and error tolerance. This continuous learning logic attracts a different mindset, and people get used to working under pressure, with agility and without fear of taking risks.
Errors are not judged and punished, but are quickly corrected and, as in a scientific experiment, hypotheses are tested, discarded, verified until the desired result is achieved. The environment is increasingly more dynamic (for some, chaotic), agile and immediate. Resources are more limited. The vision is self-evident about the results of the work, the relationship with the projects, the closer. And with less pay, compensation will be built around future success, in the form of stock and stock option programs.
Upon arrival, the executive feels the pressure to produce results immediately. I don’t understand how decisions are made. It has no parameter to process the level of autonomy young people have to make decisions. They miss the formal structure and huge budget. The overhead is obvious because the team is leaner and more junior. Data is abundant, but without the domain knowledge of the business, information intoxication is inevitable.
As management tools are newer and more technological, communication channels and digital workflow management are a new way of managing and interacting. Remote onboarding makes building relationships with other teams more challenging. The fluctuating decisions and seemingly chaotic dynamics create a sense of hopelessness that slowly destroys motivation. The executive becomes paralyzed, loses the confidence of the younger and succumbs to despair. The question arises: “What am I doing here?”.
With the right mindset, and an in-depth study of the startup, its field and the people who work there, more experienced executives can contribute to the promotion of the company, with more responsibility, autonomy and exposure to young people to be quick. can create opportunities. And a great deal of your personal fulfillment will come from your adherence to the values of the company and the people who are part of it. Efforts will yield good results. Apart from having fun working hard, the new officers will be able to open an unprecedented chapter in their lives as the heroes of the 21st century.
*Thomas Saraogi is the founder and executive chairman of Dr. Consulta, holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and is a Kaufman Fellow. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a GMP from Harvard Business School.
