Human Experience as a Workplace Perk
I recently contributed to a Newsweek article, with a headline as clickbait-y as any new workplace trend: 'Hangover Leave' Officially Tops List of Perks Americans Want at Work
Yep, you read that right. The article points out that, in a candidate- and/or employee- and/or talent-driven workplace market, organizations are getting more and more creative about how to ‘hack’ the intersection of business health and employee self-interest.
This includes everything from "hangover leave" to pawternity leave (time off to bond with a new pet), to houseplant bereavement leave (a bit ridiculous, but I do appreciate the nod to those of us who can’t seem to keep our beloved plants alive!).
I know it all might sound silly, but it’s grounded in some truth - which is why I had to throw in my perspective. Here’s what I said to Newsweek:
"We need to reframe our idea of creating a valuable and impactful employee experience that also considers the human experience as extras or perks. I think people are less likely to work for a place that doesn't offer an experience that enriches their life in some way."
Humans are the heartbeat of an organization’s success and its culture.
But traditionally we haven’t built businesses or business practices with humans/the employees in mind.
Companies that can proactively operationalize their culture and employee experience have been noted to achieve higher profitability, higher productivity, higher customer ratings, lower turnover and churn, and lower quality defects.
On the contrary, companies that ignore the experience of the employee risk being out of touch and creating an environment where employees can’t bring their best selves and talents to work.
Work is only one part of your employees’ identity, and the key to create positive workplace cultures, performance and company outcomes lies within serving diverse interests, creating a personalized experience, and honoring the whole human experience.
Of course, there are other important contextual factors to consider, which aren’t mentioned in the Newsweek article.
Perks are a symbol and activation of your workplace culture, so you must ensure your perks are matching the culture you’re looking to build.
For example: if you’ve communicated that the organization values wellbeing, health, and wellness (which many organizations are), implementing a hangover leave perk will send the wrong message and could create damaging outcomes for some employees on your team.
What does this mean? It might not be inclusive. Consider the perspectives of an employee who doesn’t drink alcohol for religious purposes, or another who is in recovery for addiction.
However, a very specific perk of a different focus can also be a source of inclusion. I advise companies to focus more on autonomy and flex around when and where people can work versus trendy perks like “hangover or break-up leave.”
Hangover leave, for example, could just be another expression from employees that they want the flexibility and empowerment to get work done on their terms and be empowered with decisions around where work gets done. I think we could easily replace “hangover leave” with another part of the human experience that would warrant additional rest or recovery (both mentally or physically).
In short, I think what’s more important to talk about — instead of the radical, viral, or ridiculous trends that won’t create workplace cultures that take and demonstrate social responsibility — is how leaders are role modeling flexibility, how the company is upskilling the company to work asynchronously, and how the organization views flexible schedules and autonomy around delivering on outcomes.
What do you think? Would you prefer pawternity leave to empowerment?
