The Death of the Good Worker
Edvard Munch - Desespero, 1892
The good workers exists. They work eight hours a day, deliver beyond what is asked of them, and don't complain about working overtime. Their relationship with his colleagues is good, there are no complaints about their behavior, not even in meetings they can't stand. The individual feedbacks are full of praise for their performance. Their leaders say that they are differentiated, that they have the potential to grow, that they have all the necessary characteristics to become, someday, a manager. Sometimes they are promoted against their will because they are too good to stay where they are. They can do more for the company, they can deliver more. They are sensational. They are special. At the end of the day, they come to my office to talk.
The good workers are fed up. Sometimes stressed. Anxious. Impatient. They don't feel motivated and don't connect with the company's product. They wonder if, someday, things will change. Is it worth staying where they are?
Good workers are committed to change. They want to be happy, excited and valued again. Good workers take care of their health. They know they need to go to the gym to relieve that pain in their back or knees. Their diet has to be balanced, because gastritis punishes their stomach if they only drink coffee during the day, so they need to stop everything to eat well. Good workers know they need to balance their personal and professional lives, they have to handle both and not bring problems to work. They need time with their children – or think about the best time to have them and raise them with quality – with their wives or husbands and visit their own parents. They try.
Good workers are not content that you are so unhappy. They are in a wonderful company. They are so good at what they do. Everyone praises and likes them. They are so privileged and can't seem to settle for anything. Not with the salary above the market average, not with the flexible hours, not with the Gympass, not with the relaxed and cool atmosphere. They live for the days off, when they can get more sleep. Good workers talk to their leader, say they are having a hard time. They discover that their leader is too. The leader, who was promoted for having the alleged profile, never received adequate training. How to be a leader without being a tormentor? If they can't demand hard production, because this is not the company's policy, what do they do? The modern company doesn't teach you how to handle a worker that is sick, stressed or dissatisfied. Not being taught a new model of functioning, those old models prevail.
The schedule is flexible, but only up to a certain point, because there is a meeting every day, at 9 am. The good employees can, yes, leave in the middle of the day to go to the doctor, but… isn't that the right of any worker? If the good workers want to work from 7pm to 3am, will they be able to do so? If they want to take karate classes every day at 10 am, will the schedule remain flexible? Or does the flexibility only apply if they want to work from 9 am to 7 pm (one hour later than normal business hours), because they have to be on call in case anyone wants to talk to them? Are they being paid for on-call time?
The atmosphere is relaxed, but not so much. The good workers have a ping-pong table at their disposal, beanbags to rest and colorful furniture, but their workload – or stress, anxiety and guilt – does not allow them to enjoy. The good workers are excellent, they have a future, but the rules for reframing, proper recognition and salary increases are unclear or impossible to achieve. Promises are made and broken with unsettling ease. When recognition is required, the good workers cease to be good in the eyes of the company. They are good, but not great. They are good, but they should learn more from so-and-so.
The company says it cares about a good employee, but if the good workers have issues with anxiety, suddenly they don't know what to do, because the job has to be done anyway. The good workers fail to see that their work makes a difference, that it has a social impact. Companies can sell their product to investors and customers, but not to them. The good workers get sick and die. Die for that company, for that function, or for that level of delivery.
With the amount of studies that currently exist, there should be no secret about how a satisfied employee impacts companies globally. We have already been able to prove that a satisfied employee has their focus increased, as well as their concentration and productivity. There are fewer errors in their finalizations. The levels of turnover, absenteeism, accidents and illnesses are reduced considerably. Profit increases. Satisfied workers get more satisfied customers. Satisfaction implies a sense of procedural justice on the part of workers. Several areas of the Human Sciences discuss this daily.
The good workers are not born from scratch, they need proper conditions to be constituted. The good workers need investment and this means much more than what they can do by themselves. Social relationships, time availability, adequate training, comprehensive care for the individual, a team with members that match the amount of work required, decent remuneration, all are some of the essential factors that the workers have no power to change. The good workers will keep coming to my office and they will get better, but some other things need "therapy". Companies have to find their treatment. Things need to change.
If you are going through something like this, it is important to say that psychotherapy can be an ally to deal with this type of experience. If you want to know how Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy can help you, talk to me at this link or send me an email by clicking here.
Anne Caroline da Silva
Psychologist CRP 08/35969
anne.css@outlook.com
+55 41 98869-5821
REFERENCES
Dawal, S. Z., Taha, Z., & Ismail, Z. (2009). Effect of job organization on job satisfaction among shop floor employees in automotive industries in Malaysia. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 39, p. 1-6.
Folger, R., & Konovsky, M. A. (1989). Effects of procedural and distributive justice on reactions to pay raise decisions. The Academy Management Journal, (32), pp. 115-130.
Palaiologos, A., Papazekos, P., & Panayotopoulou, L. (2011). Organizational justice and employee satisfaction in performance appraisal. Journal of European Industrial Training. 35(8), pp. 826-840.
The Economist, 3 de dezembro de 2021. Disponível em <https://economia.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,the-economist-aumento-global-de-pedidos-de-demissao-nao-e-atipico,70003925124>.