The canary in the coalmine

I once worked in a company where, because of some lucky M&A activity, some of the workforce were either moderately or very wealthy. I was not one of them but (this was back in the 90’s) we were all so high on the adrenaline of the early days of the internet that money was not the reason anyone worked, the excitement of building the future was enough motivation. 

There has been plenty of research since then as to what motivates people to work (money is not the top of the list).  With the shortage of labour and the disappearance of nearly half a million people from the workforce since the pandemic the issue is high on the agenda again. A significant number are unable to come back to work because of illness, but there are high numbers of older people who have decided to take early retirement.  Because of the way in which the now retired have been able to accumulate wealth, they can downsize or draw on pensions, so they are able to quit.

 
Getting these people back into work has become a major issue. There have been some interesting posts lately from Victoria Tomlinson (who also quotes Camilla Cavendish’s view that this is an employer issue) debunking the theory that older people are lazy and shirking work.  Both argue that older workers want flexibility - many are caring for parents/ grandchildren.  They also don't want the hassle of managing people but do want interesting work.  They are perceived (and may see themselves) as more experienced and therefore more expensive.

Now all of these things are true, but I think there are other major issues here and they are cultural.  Discussing this with a number of people who have retired I’m surprised by how many are saying “why would I bother, the culture was horrible, the bullying made work a nightmare and the pressure was relentless. Why would I go back? I’m loving spending time with family and friends – I’m so busy now and I’m contributing to my community”

Yet for the economy to thrive we need these people back in the workforce and to do that we have to change the culture of work.  Those with mortgages and childcare costs may have to put up with a toxic culture.  The newly retired don’t.  They are looking for something different,  for cultures that are open and fair, that offer work that has purpose, that allow flexibility, where bullying is dealt with ruthlessly and people are respected for their contribution. Those organisations will survive far better and will be able to recruit in the future.  The newly retired are the canary in the coalmine – toxic cultures take note.