Election Day is next week. How are you preparing? At Brooks Bell, this will be our second year with a companywide day off. For us, this was an easy way to put our values into action. We believe that work shouldn’t stand in the way of our team’s ability to vote, volunteer at the polls or celebrate this essential right.
Just as every election is important, so is every business decision. For me, this time of year prompts reflection about what I stand for and why. In honor of next week’s elections, I decided to document where I stand on some top-of-mind business issues. As a leader, I believe strong values and transparency are critical to organizations’ success, so I’m sharing the list of what I “vote for” — and against.
I vote against hustle culture.
Hustle culture’s relentless, always-on mentality has created problems across industries. Burnout, mental health issues and the “Great Resignation” all have roots in a toxic work culture that prioritizes productivity above all else. Whether it’s booking over time off, checking email on vacation or sending frequent late-night emails, I stand against every form of this unbalanced, work-centered lifestyle.
I vote for treating mental and physical health equally.
If you have a fever, you stay home. After getting rest and possibly seeing a doctor, you return to work when you feel better. We all accept this principle, but for some reason mental health carries different standards. Mental health days should be treated the same as sick days — not as a vacation day or a special exception when employees reach a breaking point. A healthy workforce is a better workforce, and it’s important to me that our team knows their mental and physical well-being comes first.
I vote against organizations becoming entirely remote.
Organizations need a physical center where employees can gather, collaborate and decompress. Just as some employees prefer virtual work, some can’t or don’t want to work from home — Zoom-only offices miss a chance to meet their needs. As many organizations ponder a fully virtual future, Brooks Bell is proceeding with our office lease renewal, even while encouraging a flexible work structure. The way we work is changing, but our office remains the business’s nucleus and home base.
I vote for people-first policies.
Too often, business leaders are afraid to implement policies that make sense as humans because they’re worried about performance implications. We have to separate these ideas and focus on doing the right thing for people first and foremost. The past 20 months have shown us that our teams are flexible, and that contrary to popular belief, rigid rules and work constraints are not driving profitability, they’re driving employees away.
I vote against growth for growth’s sake.
Values-driven work means working with the right people for the right reasons. Sometimes this means turning down big opportunities that don’t make sense for your company or team bandwidth. We’ve been conditioned to believe the right business strategy is a “growth-at-all-costs” approach, but who does that serve? We can all benefit from reconsidering the glorification of constant growth.
I vote for going all in — or not at all.
If you’re going to do something, do it all the way. From DEI initiatives to client work, tackling projects just to check a box isn’t a great way to make progress. Lay the groundwork behind the scenes, create a thorough plan and when the right time comes, dive in headfirst.
I vote for actions speaking louder than words.
As we navigate this ever-changing landscape, I have not been immune to mistakes and we certainly continue to deal with our fair share of business challenges. I constantly strive to earn trust with my team by actually showing that our actions promote these initiatives. Words are important, but everyday decisions are where you prove you mean it.