Don't
Bribe Them to Come Back--Tell Them to Stick It
If our
workplaces are safe--and they seem to be-- then startups have to stop coddling
employees who don't want to be part of the team. And we're talking about you,
millennials.
Maybe you were building a new business and
well on your way to new heights and great things before COVID-19 -- growing
like crazy and hiring folks left and right. Now you're faced with the new
post-pandemic reality that bringing your people back to the office, or finding
suitable replacements, isn't going to be as quick and easy as you thought.
I've got some advice for you: If you want to
build a sustainable, long-term and committed workforce, which is the foundation
for every successful startup, please don't beg or bribe your people, or any new
people, to return to work or join the team.
Startups are hard enough when everyone's fully
on board, pulling in the same direction, and excited about the journey. Getting
good players isn't difficult; getting them to play well together is the whole
ball game. If people are going to be asked to give it their all, then it is
important that they share in, and are connected to, the vision - the dream -
and shown a credible path to get there together. Dreams don't work unless
everyone does.
Half-hearted helpers, people just phoning it
in for a paycheck until something better comes along, or lip service sycophants
whose actions don't live up to their words are exactly the ones your company
doesn't need. You want the ones who are going to work with you,
not for you, and most definitely not operating behind your
back.
If people are too wonderful in their own
minds, too worried about their titles and perks or too woke to get back to the
daily grind (because that's what it's almost certainly going to be for a
while), forget them. Because regardless of their skills, you and your company
will be far better off without them. In the real world, the right attitude and
a solid commitment are a lot more important than any particular talent.
The very last thing you want or need at this
critical juncture is to bend over backwards and plead with people to return.
This is a double-edged sword. The folks who showed up quickly and willingly (or
maybe never even left) and were excited to jump right into the battle are going
to be very unhappy to see the divas and poseurs eventually waltz in. And those
entitled assholes who think they're doing you a big favor to drag themselves
back into the office are going to be absolute poison for your company culture,
which no new business can afford.
I hear too many people saying (not that I
understand what it means) that "millies bring their whole selves to
work" and that, somehow, it's on us as makers, managers and leaders to
meet and accommodate all of their needs - physical, emotional and
psychological. I'm convinced that those happy and perk-filled days of old are
pretty much gone, except maybe in the Valley.
Even there, companies
like Apple are trying without much success to figure out how to
please a bunch of unhappy and deluded employees who resist returning to 1
Infinite Loop. These are people whose ideas of what "work" means now
- the concept of showing up, for example, as, when and if they please - are
mainly fantasies. This isn't a time when people get to make things up as they
go along. You may eventually earn the right to do things "your" own
way, but only after you've paid years of dues and heard plenty of
"don'ts".
I guess my old-fashioned answer to all these
folks is that (a) this isn't camp or checkers - there are tough times ahead;
(b) startups are like families in many ways, but we're a team, not a family,
and I'm not your mom or dad, so get over it; and (c) it's not really my job to
make anyone's life simpler or easier. Easy is getting harder by the day and our
focus is on making things better, not necessarily easier.
The tough work today is about trying to build
something lasting, meaningful, and important to people besides ourselves and to
undertake that challenging task with respect for our employees and our
customers; with honesty and integrity; and with a new seriousness of purpose
that hopefully this horrific pandemic has instilled in all of us. Working on
the right things right now is even more important than simply
working hard because, if you're headed in the wrong direction or chasing the
wrong rabbits, your diligence, effort, and speed don't matter.
Too many people all across the world have
suffered unimaginable pain and loss, millions of friends and loved ones have
died, and additional millions are likely to be unemployed for years. We all
need some time and a great deal of patience to hear, help and heal those around
us, but honestly, I have no patience whatever for the arrogant and privileged
prima donnas who seem to feel that the world owes them a living. A living
which, as far as I can see, they've done nothing yet to earn or deserve.
Do yourself and your business a big favor.
Just do without them.