Trip the Light
By now, most everyone’s aware of The Great Resignation. Workers of all skill levels and in all industries are leaving their jobs, many without a plan.
They’re either retiring early, taking extended time off before they job hunt, switching industries, or going independent in some way. Either way, they’ve had it with their employer or the working conditions.
Back in November, a friend had told me he too was on the verge of joining the ranks of the tens of thousands of people leaving their jobs. He had all he could take from his employer.
Year-end reviews were turning sour. Training and Development was staging interventions. His most trusted and closest teammates were jumping ship. And then his manager, whom he once trusted, said in order for him to be considered for an in-role, senior promotion, he would need to create a solid “turnaround” story.
A turnaround story after he had taken time off earlier in the year for mental health. A turnaround story after he supported a crumbling team as said manager stood by and watched. A turnaround as he had been passed over for two other opportunities earlier in the year. Oh, and did he mention his work generated millions of dollars for region?
A turnaround story. Sheesh.
What’s been happening at his organization is a massive experiment in corporate psychology. What he believes it truly is however, is gaslighting. Two years prior, the company initiated a colossal reorganization turning hierarchical org structures into a matrix. Sounds good, right?
Wrong. He says they’ve spent these last two years managing the new structure and less time on productivity. They’re in more meetings talking about our jobs and less time doing them, he shared.
All the while, management continues to reassure the worker bees that this is still great. It’s what’s best for the organization. We still have perks!
They remind them of the good times that were, and the good times that are supposed to come. They talk about how valuable the people are, and yet they let them just walk out the door.
“In meetings, we even gaslight ourselves,” my friend said, groupspeaking how amazing it still is.
And then later, when no one’s watching, when it’s one-on-one, the real talk comes out. No one holds back on how much they dislike it. In off-the-record conversations he’s had with top brass, even they’re hard-pressed to find what energizes them.
So why do people stay? I asked.
The paycheck. It’s the port in the storm, he says. It’s the one thing that might one day yield an exit strategy. That is, as he says he’s gaslit himself, what will get him to the next chapter in his life, one in which he’s not beholden to an organization who has lost touch with its people.
So what’s a friend to do? I advised him to be the lamplighter. End the gaslighting by bringing to light what’s not right. Let the sun come up, I suggested. Trip the light. Burn off the false fog. That, or take his tools elsewhere. Seems to be that everyone else is doing it and everything turns out fine.
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This post is republished on Medium.
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Photo source: iStock
