They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Organisations make desperate efforts to attract, retain and engage people. HR departments are working hard to get the right teams in the right places, at their right time and with the right mindset. But these good intentions are not helping increase global levels of engagement,which remain at rock bottom. Gallup just confirmed (again) that the majority of the world’s employees continue to struggle [1]. And for some, work is hell.

Despite piles of free snacks and state-of-the-art well-being “value propositions”, workplaces are developing more attachment (short-term dependency) than commitment (long-term willingness to produce value). A disproportionate focus on “what will I get” has engulfed the conversations around performance, client value and impact, to the point that we are pleasing neither our customers nor our employees.

Becoming a club can seriously hurt a business. How can you tell whether your business is developing a club culture?

These are some early indicators:

• When asked why people work for you, they start with the perks.
• It is a big deal to get people to participate from a meeting (even virtual).
• There are more conversations to discuss the HOW than the WHY.
• The induction day starts with a visit to the gym and ends with a slide showing “the purpose”.
• Job posts advertise what people would get if they joined you.
• Attrition is higher in those with more talent.
• Performance reviews concentrate more on career planning than on value creation.

Those winning cultures, passionate about what they do for clients, look for ways to engage their people. Not the other way around.

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javier@javierbajer.com