In the last two years, work has seen a significant shift. The pandemic made people evaluate their priorities and expand their perspectives on life, effort, compensation, and growth. A direct result of the same is that work and workplaces have now become more people-oriented than ever. Hybrid work, given its benefits for employers and employees commonly has seen its dawn. 

Much has been said about how psychologically unsafe workplaces spell doom in a company and what employers need to think about. 

And what about workers and employees? What part do they have to play in today’s work setup? 

As remote and hybrid work, flexibility, and freedom take over, following an ideal and being passionate about your work and career advancement is still a significant individual responsibility for people. 

How then can employees make the best of their careers and achieve corporate heaven from the employer and the PTB? (PTB stands for the Powers That Be – those that have an outsize impact on your personal, emotional and financial well-being, be it your supervisor, the HoD, the CEO, the Board, the culture carriers or Human Resources.) 

There are, of course, stages that lead to the seventh heaven. But each level is an accomplishment in itself and only makes way for something better, and more blissful. 

First 

Believe In Yourself: When an employee has a healthy self-image and believes in himself, many roadblocks at work get cleared. Self-belief in his or her own abilities often helps take on challenges and tasks that are demanding. Where this helps especially is in understanding that one doesn’t know everything and doesn’t need to know everything while starting but can and will learn it all. This confidence is key to start off and, in this stage, work begins to look more stimulating than before. 

Sitting around trying to hide what you don’t know in fear of being called out is a recipe for disaster. 

Second

Be Consistent: Growth requires consistency, and people who persevere with their work and the effort they put into it make them a more viable fit for advancement opportunities at their company by the PTB. A steady pattern of disciplined work is highly rewarding. 

Occasional flashes in a pan get you quick credit but only to a point. 

Third

Take Initiative and be a ‘Self-Starter’: Initiative at work is something that is often not a clear expectation but subtly, it works wonders. When an employee takes the lead, gets things done, comes up with new ideas and has an authentic enthusiasm toward organization goals, they automatically become recognized as an asset by the PTB. Here, bliss comes to the employee in the form of boosting well-founded confidence.  

Without initiative, one is just passive and reactive. Like with life, expect work to give you only as much as you put in. 

Fourth

Learn: The fourth stage gives an employee the happiness of learning and gaining. When people make space for things beyond their current role and display a genuine willingness to learn new things, their career growth gains speed. In addition, developing and honing new skills for a higher position makes work something to look forward to and helps employees remain proactive. 

Stay with what you know and you will inhibit your growth internally and in the organization. It is essential to look back at yourself a few years ago and feel two things (1) foolish at how little you knew then and (2) proud of your ability to recognize that fact. 

Fifth

Be Accountable: When someone is deemed reliable and accountable at their workplace, they’ve earned something vital – the trust of the team lead, supervisor and management. When the PTB place faith in an employee, they are relieved from the shackles of micromanaging. In the fifth stage, these employees experience freedom and independence. One of the biggest problems for supervisors is the lack of accountability and follow-through. Don’t be that employee. 

Always blaming something or someone else or not following something through to closure ensures that micro-managers are never out of your hair. Remember, their fortunes are tied to yours. 

Sixth

Deal with Conflict: Disagreements at work are inevitable. The way one resolves an argument often acts as a display of character. When an employee has an exceptional conflict resolution style, the company knows they are in for the long haul. Maturity lies in the balance and also shows one values the place where they work and want to be a part of it. This wins sincere appreciation for the employee from the PTB with the possibilities of career advancement growing. 

Passive avoidance shows immaturity. So does active aggression. If you invest in what is difficult, it shows commitment. 

Seventh

The Big Picture from the Seventh Step: The final and ultimate corporate bliss is experienced by employees who have over time, shown a clear picture of commitment, discipline, sincerity and follow-through to everyone including the PTB and received the recognition that goes with it. In the seventh heaven, they become employees that are so valued by the company that the PTB are willing to go the extra mile to provide them with everything they need to expand and grow their career graph. This is where work becomes more than just work and becomes something of meaning over and above just a means of livelihood. 

- Authored by the People Practices Team at Jackstien Practices 

The post The Seventh Heaven Of Corporate Paradise  appeared first on Jackstien Practices, India.

In the 14th century, the Italian writer and poet Dante Alighieri wrote the three-part epic poem Divine Comedy. The first part is the Inferno which describes the poet’s journey through the nine circles of Hell. It travels through the various stages of evil in order of severity. More than 700 years later, Inferno has continued to remain a piece of literature that remains compellingly influential. 

Workplace well-being is a topic that can never be overdone. Owing to the pandemic, the present workforce is currently dealing with mental distress and unmet mental health needs. 

A lot has been said (and done) about compensation packages, better training facilities, and adaptation to newer styles of working. 

 Unfortunately, psychological and emotional safety at a job whether remote work or hybrid work or on-premise work has received a minimized emphasis as compared to the attention given to physical comfort, flexibility, and growth opportunities.

The PTB have an outsize role to play in this area [PTB stands for the Powers That Be – those that have an outsize impact on your personal, emotional and financial well-being, be it your supervisor, the HoD, the CEO, the Board, the culture carriers or Human Resources.]

 If Dante were to write about a Hell of a psychologically unstable and unsafe workplace, he would’ve mentioned these nine circles: 

First 

 The first stage is a general disregard for employees’ feelings and emotions. It is a workplace that does not care about the well-being of workers and whether they feel their issues are unaddressed by the PTB. Here, firms and organizations have wellness policies on paper but there is a negligible company-wide implementation of the same. If any efforts are at all made in the direction of resolving employees’ problems, they are undirected and ineffective at best.

Second 

In this stage of a psychologically unsafe workplace, the PTB indulge in casual remarks that bring an employee’s morale down. For instance, Adam’s underperformance at work is met with a “You know, Susan is the kind of worker we want in this office. All others who slack off are such a waste of the company’s resources. Had I been the CEO, I would’ve fired ninety per cent of the staff.” Instead of constructive criticism and kind feedback (that is proven to improve productivity), in this stage, managers incessantly draw comparisons between workers and make their favourites known to everyone. 

Third 

 In the third stage, the PTB are always implying (or straightaway asking) that their employees and workers should push their boundaries and prioritize work over everything else. This may be in the form of casually asking a worker to attend a meeting on a weekend. Or burdening employees with more work than they can handle. Or telling an employee that career advancement in the company is guaranteed only when the people at the top see her unwavering passion and commitment to the job. Here, a toxic hustle culture is glorified, and anyone who makes a clear distinction between work and life is not appreciated. 

Fourth 

In this stage of a psychologically unsafe and unstable workplace, employees are looked at as nothing else but working machines that bring profit and revenue to the firm. Here, management is driven by profit goals to an extent that they fail to address any shortcomings in their supervision. There is zero employee engagement as well because the workplace is no longer a safe place where workers can share their problems, discuss solutions and ask for necessary health and other leaves. Any demand is immediately met with one word – ‘unreasonable.’ 

Fifth 

In the fifth stage, a workplace has feedback sessions that are constantly feared by the employees. Here, feedback is not two-way but something that is just angrily thrown at an employee who leaves the room feeling humiliated and inadequate. There is no effort by the management to ask the employee about the reasons and issues that led to them underperforming the said month/quarter. 

Sixth 

The sixth stage consists of a workplace with an employer who rejects progressive ideas about workplace well-being and policies that meet the mental health needs of employees and workers in the firm. The employer is dismissive about the same and feels that it may make employees take work and their job for granted. Any suggestion made by employees in their interest is immediately looked down upon. As a result, employees feel emotionally suppressed. 

Seventh 

 In the seventh circle of an emotionally and psychologically unsafe work environment, the firm has no clear policies for conflict between co-workers. Here, an employee may be side-lined while others keep ganging up on him. Any complaint made by the victim of bullying is not given the importance it deserves. The employee in question may end up in an inner conflict between continuing to go through mental distress in the workplace and leaving the job to end up in the risky waters of unpaid bills and job hunting. 

Eighth 

 In the eighth stage, a workplace adapts a management and supervision style that works on inducing fear in the employees. For instance, when assigning a new project to a team of four people, the supervisor gives a ‘fair warning’ that he has been informed by top management that underperformers in the project may get fired the following month. Here, encouragement and support are non-existent and they’re replaced by ‘motivation’ that makes employees anxious and emotionally distressed. 

Ninth 

 This is the last stage of a psychologically unsafe and menacing workplace. It is a culmination of all the previous stages combined with a lack of transparency and a looming ambiguity in the work environment. It unleashes consistent panic in the employees because they’re no longer sure if they’re in the right place, at the right job. Managers are largely unavailable when they’re needed but they’re always keen on micromanaging and monitoring. Employees resign rapidly, and the ones that stay are only here for a paycheck that looks after their bills. They continue looking for other jobs on the company’s system and WiFi. 

- Authored by the People Practices Team at Jackstien Practices 

The post Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell appeared first on Jackstien Practices, India.