It's a scary time to be alive. There's Gaza and Trump and Farage and oh my God we're all going to die.
Back in 2020, under similar circumstances — remember? — I reached for something to give me some semblance of hope and found a wee book called Lessons of History. I don't remember loads of its content because I'm not a smarty-pants, but I do remember one conclusion because I am a scaredy-pants: when people feel threatened or uncertain of the future, they seek order. Often in the form of tyrants, dictators, and fascists.
This did not ease my angst. At all.
But it did get my brain whirring. On a micro-scale, the same rule applies to our working lives — when afraid or uncertain, we cling to order and control. It's not Farage, but it still sucks.
As discussed in previous blogs, in most workplaces fear is an accepted norm, echoing from subtle reminders of our precariousness. It is a rare team in which status is not contingent on our capacity to please the Great Leader, whether that is a line manager, CEO, or disgruntled supervisor. The very notion of 'workplace performance' means we are all being judged, all the time — even if the judges are lovely people, there's always the risk of failure, shame, and being cast out.
This is exacerbated by the fact that we lack control over more than we like to think. It's soothing to pretend that if we're good at our jobs then we are guaranteed good outcomes — but if you're in a job that involves even a smidge of complexity (and it's very, very likely that you are), that's just not true. Bend over backwards for a client: get lowballed by a competitor. Set up a cycle-to-work scheme for employee wellbeing: employee twats themselves on a bollard. Many of us spend a crazy amount of time being judged on things we can't control — by others, yes, but also by ourselves.
Given the anxiety-inducing effects of this combination, reaching for certainty or structure makes sense. If we go by the policy, we can't be blamed. If we take the route with the most certainty — the route that bashes complexity out of the way — we can't get in trouble, even if it means ignoring the real problem. Risk-aversion becomes safer than creativity. Clear, direct power becomes more attractive.
This kind of power in the workplace has some ugly outcomes. Rigid policy is deferred to over the nuances a situation actually requires, and job roles become iron casts we find impossible to bend. Individuals are seen only for their capacity to complete a task, regardless of their actual experiences. Sweeping rules are preferred over iterative learning. The glorious mess of play, reflection, and human interaction — the stuff that actually makes teams successful and happy — is washed out under the need for efficiency and simplicity.
The short of it is an inhuman place to work. We've probably all experienced this in some form or another — feeling squashed by rigid structure or unfeeling process. We've probably also done it ourselves, leaning on the bible of policy or process because it's there and it gets rid of the discomfort of mess and actual human life.
It keeps happening because it feels safer. We crave the comfort blanket of clarity, even as it smothers creative drive like Dot Cotton on Ethel (bleak and niche Eastenders reference there).
Three starter approaches to re-humanise work
But don't worry, I've got THREE SIMPLE HABITS to TRANSFORM your workplace!
Nah, of course I don't. But we've come up with a few starters to help check that fear and re-humanise work.
These HOT TIPS may or may not work depending on your context. Consider it an attempt to point to hope without promising an answer.
1. Be honest about uncertainty and fear. It is scary to be responsible for a decision when there is no clear roadmap to success. There is always the possibility of failure. But naming it means we can work with it, provide reassurance, know we're not alone, and maybe feel comfortable to take a few more creative risks. It means we're more likely to check our steps iteratively, learning along the way.
2. Make sure values underpin decision-making processes. When complexity offers a Jackson Pollock of possibilities, leaning into values guides us in navigating the mess — without over-prescribing. It opens the door for creativity whilst tethering people to context and mission.
3. Embrace diversity. There are many ways to cook a goulash. Everyone who comes into your organisation will have a way of working that makes the most out of their skillset and their humanity, and there will be loads to learn from both their successes and failures. Indeed, we know that the best learning happens from people creatively applying knowledge to their own problems and reflecting on the outcomes — so let them do it, and let the whole culture learn as a result.
If those solutions aren't satisfying, good. Any solution needs more depth and analysis and context-based problem solving than this puny blog can muster. But hopefully there is something in there that is a starting point to move away from fear and towards lovely human complexity.
Also published on Medium. · ← Back to Writing