Hot Topic Friday: Oct. 25

Happy Friday! Here are my Oct. 25 Hot Topics and how they relate to advancing culture or leadership.

Hot Topic 1: Do You Give/Get Work Perks That Make Sense?

What It’s About: Thoughtfully investing in the right work environment, including so called “perks” to attract and retain the best people, is one of the key things, if not THE most important work that leaders do. For most, if not all companies, optimizing talent becomes the source of becoming exceptional in a sustainable way. Doing meaningful work, having purpose, compelling values, exceptional autonomy, psychological safety, great (not perfect) leadership, and a few more ingredients, are fundamental to work force optimization. Perks are the gravy or dessert. As an example, according to the article: “Netflix offers a year of leave to new parents. Cloud platform communications company Twilio gives its workers a Kindle and a $30 stipend each month to buy books. Twitter has on-site acupuncture, catered meals and classes in improv. Some companies develop perks to echo a message about the kind of work they do. Outdoor camping and recreational gear company REI, for instance, gives workers two paid days off per year to spend on an outdoor activity.” Perhaps even more intriguing, according to a MetLife 2019 benefits study of 2,500 workers, 72 percent said they were most interested in unlimited time off, well above the 61 percent who said they wanted on-site gyms, meals or dry-cleaning services.

Why It’s Important: One of my big personal disappointments, was leaving as Chief People Officer before I could fully implement a total flexible vacation and leave policy at my last company. Why? When implemented well, it is a talent/culture game changer. The MetLife study is one validation. Unlimited vacation is a misnomer because in reality, no one can take an unlimited amount of time off. No results equals no job. The key overall point of this article is: For perks to be optimally effective, they must be more than selling points to get talent through the door. They need to reflect an authentic culture, and when they symbolize what the company really believes in, they are powerful. Then, even the ping pong table makes sense.

One Millennial Reaction: I think it all starts with a good coffee maker and an assortment of K-cups. That’s the very least a company can do. I imagine the novelty of an in-house slide wears off quickly, I don’t see the benefit of sleep pods, and while we all would love daily catered meals, that doesn’t make financial sense for a lot of companies. However, a Keurig OfficePRO is $124.99, and if an organization can’t swing that, then the best benefit you can expect is that you’re free to find somewhere that can.

Hot Topic 2: Clickbaited by Our Own Brain?

Source: Daniel T. Willingham, psychologist University of Virginia; New York Times.

What It’s About: Professor Willingham writes about the value of curiosity relative to learning. In fact, “curiosity” is one of the most sought after attributes among employees at any level. Curiosity causes a brain state that amplifies learning, and we feel most curious when we believe exploration will yield the most learning. However, we can easily be distracted by curiosity (chasing short term ideas), or as Willingham states, “we get clickbaited by our own brain, leading to becoming disappointed because new knowledge does not materially contribute to our long-term interests.” So what?

Why It’s Important: Ideally we can harness our natural curiosity to become more capable learners. So the challenge is changing the curiosity focus from the momentary to something more enduring. As an example, according to the author: “Many websites that snare your time feature scores of stories on the front page, banking that one will strike each reader’s sweet spot of knowledge. So visit websites that use the same strategy but offer richer content, for example, JSTOR Daily, Arts & Letters Daily or ScienceDaily.” Forage better! Focus our curiosity.

One Millennial Reaction: Hmm. I don’t know how much I agree with Willingham’s train of thought here. I mean, there’s a reason why internet rabbit holes exist. People get trapped for hours reading/consuming more and more content based on initial curiosity. Let’s say you’re hypothetically an insurance salesperson that’s curious about travel. You don’t think binging three hours of “things to do and not do in ____ city,” might lead to “what traveling to Dubai in first class looks like,” and then “best conferences for insurance salespeople in the country.” Travel curiosity might help you pitch where to visit to improve your profession. Perhaps that’s just this Millennial’s way to look at it, not a psychologist’s way.

My Weekly Wine Recommendation (Thanks to Vivino):

Archer and Thorn Reserve Proprietary Red 2016.

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[Picture and ratings provided by Vivino].

And finally! Here’s Cecil’s Bleat of the Week!

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“The best ultralearners are those who blend the practical reasons for learning a skill with an inspiration that comes from something that excites them.” - Scott H Young.

Bye for now!

— Lorne Rubis

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Season 3 of Culture Cast.

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Happy Friday! Here are my Oct. 25 Hot Topics and how they relate to advancing culture or leadership.

Hot Topic 1: Do You Give/Get Work Perks That Make Sense?

Hot Topic 2: Clickbaited by Our Own Brain?

And finally! Here’s Cecil’s Bleat of the Week!

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