Personalized work arrangements? Well, only if you ask…

Like most weeks over the past year, this week brought a barrage of articles and insight on the labor force trend known as the “Great Resignation.” The Wall Street Journal published an article by organizational behavior experts, Dr. Rosseau and Dr. Weingart. They heralded “personalized work arrangements'“ as the best defense against employee departures. Here is an excerpt:

Since the pandemic began, more employees want to be exceptions to the rule. They want personalized arrangements that differ from the ones their co-workers have—from remote work to a tailored schedule to a reworked job that is better aligned with their interests and goals.

But many managers have no idea how to make these deals work, or whether to even consider them in the first place. They are used to a one-size-fits-all workplace, which on the surface, at least, seems easier and fairer. And they worry that making a mistake with these personal deals will lead to tension and resentment from other employees.

But having spent our careers studying how individual workers negotiate what we call “i-deals,” we believe the opposite is true: These deals can make the workplace a fairer environment, and make it more likely that employees do their best work.

I agree! In fact, I dubbed them “personalized engagement plans” when I founded WhyWork and they’re the core of our business. However, the article goes on to assume that employees must initiate these conversations themselves. I disagree with that approach for two crucial reasons: 1) a haphazard approach to personalized arrangements can foment resentment among colleagues who weren’t aware these arrangements were an option, and 2) some less assertive employees are put at a disadvantage if they don’t initiate these requests.

The WhyWork process eliminates both of these challenges by launching a six-week project to survey and interview all of an organization’s employees to elicit answers as to what will keep them engaged at work. For some, it may be working on a new project that expands their skill set. For others, it may mean negotiating how or when their work is done. As the article points out, for many employees, it’s not about time or money. People everywhere are looking to reinvent themselves after a challenging and stagnant two years. Why not help them reinvent themselves right where they are now?