21 Century Worklife

Help is on the Way

The 21st Century Bill of Worklife Rights Has Arrived!

We are in a new economic age and, as was the case in past transitions (agrarian to industrial to information to… inundation?), the systems able to authentically support our worklife haven’t caught up yet.

Yes, millions of us are working hard (often, too hard) and succeeding in making a difference every day. And, sure, there are some very forward-thinking organizations and individuals out there innovating new organizational structures, processes and ideas that help staff do their best work, actually enjoy what they do, and make contributions not just to the coffers of their shareholders, but to their local and global communities. But it isn’t enough. The larger truth is that:

• Compensation hasn’t come close to keeping up with cost of living
• Benefits are rapidly diminishing
• Work hours are endlessly increasing
• Rigid and hierarchical organizational structures are still the norm, and
• Many of us are barely tapping into our creative potential

It doesn’t have to be this way.  Really.

We need to start by asking ourselves, how we can transition from feeling bored on a good day and exhausted and fed-up the rest of the week to feeling aligned and engaged?

The answer rests with you… and you… and you… and all of us.

It would be easy to say that things have gotten this bad because someone else created the problem. But the reality is we’ve all contributed in some way, perhaps by not speaking up when we’re asked to work too many hours, demanding too much of our staff, settling for too little money, or not actively seeking out allies to create larger-scale change in our workplaces.

Even if you currently have a job that you enjoy and that feels “secure”, you likely know someone (or many people) struggling. It’s going to take all of us to re-build the larger fabric of our broken workscape. The truth is that we’re in the middle of the fight of our lifetimes as individuals and as a nation–the fight for the freedom and resources to fully share our gifts and pursue our dreams during the majority of our waking hours!

It’s time to stop letting our anxiety and fear that if we say something, we’ll be out in the cold with a replacement in our still-warm seat or we’ll be revealing a personal failure stop us from making a change.

Instead, let’s channel our worry, frustration, and anger into respectfully saying ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Recognize that millions of other people also have had enough, and together, we can actively create powerful new norms for our workplaces that are win-wins for everyone. Otherwise, you can bet your bottom dollar, we’ll stay stuck working more and more for less and less.

Whatever your feelings about the Occupy Wall Street Movement, I invite you to consider that it has valuable applications to creating healthier workplaces. Most fundamentally, it shines a spotlight on just how ripe our historical moment is for building new ways of living and working.

Now is the time for us all to access our inner community organizer, whether you formally join a movement or you contribute in more subtle ways to ‘occupy’ the unique space you’re capable of filling. Now is the time to individually and collectively generate new kinds of organizational and worklife structures, processes, systems, questions and ideas that allow each of to make our mark on the world

But what exactly does this look like? Below is the 21st Century Bill of Worklife Rights, 5 key principles that are particularly critical for building true 21st century workplaces, whether you work for someone else or for yourself:

1. Take Back Your Security
2. End Workaholism
3. Create Workplace Flexibility
4. Cultivate Creativity
5. Demand Better Compensation