THE DIGNITY OF WORK - A TIME TO SEE

Before he died, one of the world’s most respected leaders spoke about the dignity of work. Pope Francis addressed the need to give people access to Land, Lodging and Labour – which in Spanish are the three “Ts”: tierra, techo, trabajo. These are the basis of people’s dignity and well-being. By Land, he really meant Mother Earth, ecological conversion and sustainable development goals. By Lodging he obviously meant the homes we live in and urban sprawl that foster anonymity, solitude and a loss of dignity. By Labour he believed people needed to earn a dignified living through their work, in the first place to support themselves and their families but also to enrich their community.

In this country most organisations and employers do not have a direct influence on Land and Lodging. Yet, leaders and chief executives can shape the working life of their people, to provide self-expression, sharing, personal growth and a sense of value - Where workers create real value for the organization and they also serve the common good of the community.

A Time to See

Most organisations and chief executives believe in good people management and there are some great successes. However, recent years have added extreme pressures on senior managers and their HR colleagues. Since 2020, the workplace landscape has changed. Now, only 45% of adult employees go into their place of work, 30% are hybrid and 15% are totally remote working. Recent online surveys will show that only 30% are full-time office workers.

Working from home or hot-desking, many have no friends at work, feel anonymous, do not belong and have no fun or camaraderie. Worst still, managers have difficulty in building teams, improving productivity and simply getting to know their staff. Companies, local government and other public bodies are having to reduce headcount. The rest have to take on more responsibility and work harder for no extra reward. The result can be overwork and burnout.

Senior workers and middle managers between the ages of 30 and 55 are likely to spend more than half their time WFH. The inevitable result are feelings of being undervalued, disengaged, unappreciated, with no personal development and less sense of career management.

What can we do about it?  What are the options? How difficult might it be?