Do you describe your work as a “job,” or as a “vocation” involving key responsibilities? Your view is probably shaped by your organization’s culture…whether an employee is considered a means to an end, or the end. You probably have a job if you are at a company similar to a certain car company, whose leader Henry Ford said, “I wanted a pair of hands, but got the whole person.”
Contrast this quote with today’s CEO approval ratings. Marissa Mayer’s employee approval rating (Yahoo!) is 85%, which is fantastic if you compare against President Obama’s, which has fallen recently. However, if you are recruiting the best and brightest to work at your company, her approval rating is low when compared to Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg’s 97%, Google’s Larry Page’s 95%, or Apple’s Tim Cook’s 93% (Source: Glassdoor.com).
A good work environment was described in an Accenture study as rewarding, honest, flexible, and interesting. In this environment, there is a greater chance that an employee can get purpose or meaning from their vocation, as well as give their CEO a higher approval rating.
Does your approval rating reflect a culture that promotes employee vocations instead of jobs?
