What To Toss in the Culture Garbage Can?

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What It’s About?: As I write this, it’s Father's Day, and I was thinking about the personal challenges to fatherhood throughout my career. Long hours away from family was probably the most daunting. And I remember stupid things I did to compound the issue, like waking up at 4 a.m. duriing a family vacation in Hawaii to be on a useless conference call, because an ego driven CEO insisted I attend. Six hours later, while my family waited, I was still on that dumb call. Too many times I made those questionable choices, and frankly, the wrong decisions, all because I was expected to prove my loyalty and commitment through sacrificing my personal self. Anyways, I’m self accountable. I made the decisions. Likely out of unrealized fear more than anything (sometimes I’m a therapist’s five course meal, haha). The thing I hated the most, however, was traveling on Sunday or coming back on Saturday from a business trip. It usually meant missing something that can never be replaced.

So What?: The last 18 months have confirmed, for many of us, that we can challenge numerous workplace assumptions. One of those is, who has to travel? When?

Leaders, please use this time to seriously challenge your travel policy. The high costs of travel to the operating model is one thing. However, the human cost is far greater for many. I realize that some people love to live on a plane. In most cases it becomes a learned, unquestioned “necessity.”

Now What?: As we move forward into the post pandemic workplace, let’s not drag back every piece of cultural debris with us. It’s an opportunity to “house clean,” and sweep out the crummy things we’ve often accepted as “just the way it is.” Who really has to travel is part of this reconsideration, along with revisiting when in-person meetings are really necessary. Frankly, there are many more opportunities. Taking small steps like this will make our workplaces a little more human, and a little more accommodating to parenthood and work integrating with the unique personal lives of the people who make the business run.

Think Big, Start Small, Act Now,

- Lorne

One Millennial View: While I wholeheartedly reject sayings like “the new normal,” and “the great restart” (boy, those creep me out), there are certainly things we can reexamine as parts of the world are now boomin’ again, baby! Let’s get real, face-to-face time is better than a Zoom call, it just is. There is certainly extra appreciation that lands alongside travel effort, or attending that 4 a.m. meeting. We’ve all heard the saying, “time is money,” however, realistically, time can be a lot more valuable than money in some cases. Don’t waste it. We have a good chance to ask what’s worth it or not as we all move forward.

- Garrett

Edited and published by Garrett Rubis

What To Toss in the Culture Garbage Can?

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