bringing sanity to the office
Stopped at a traffic light, your mind wanders. You think about work – an interaction with a customer, a conversation with a coworker, an idea that would solve a recurring issue for your boss.
It’s your day off. You know you should be focused on other things, enjoying your free time, but you can’t take your mind off work.
We all think about work when we’re not at work, and it doesn’t matter if you are paid a salary or by the hour. On the clock or off, our jobs are intricately woven into the fabric of our lives. However, in the relationship between employee and employer, there’s a subtle component that often doesn’t get the credit it deserves: Our attention
Jobs are not just about completing tasks within a designated time frame. They require devotion of one’s time and attention devoted to a particular employer. While the spotlight often falls on the clock – the ticking minutes and seconds that translate into a tangible wage – for hourly employees, commitment is no less than their salaried counterparts. The measurable aspects of time-on-task does not consider what happens off the clock, quality of attention, which truly defines an employee’s contribution.
If employees were to approach their work as a series of disjointed tasks, detached from any sense of dedication to a specific endeavor, attention would be scattered and devotion to the employer significantly impacted, resulting in a chaotic landscape where individuals hop from one job to another, guided by whim rather than purpose.
Evaluating the true worth of an hourly wage
Evaluating the true worth of an hourly wage requires factoring in attention retention. Employers should recognize they are not merely compensating employees for time spent on tasks, but also investing in the devotion and commitment of their workforce; the intangible currency of retaining employee attention.
It’s a symbiotic relationship thriving on the mutual exchange of attention and commitment. The balance between time and attention underscores the essence of hourly employment – a commitment that goes beyond measuring time, transforming a job into a meaningful partnership with an employer.
As employers evolve in their understanding of hourly roles, they’ll discover that the real wage is not just a number but a reflection of the attention and commitment invested by their employees. The hope is that both parties feel like they are benefitting one another.
We’re exploring how AI and Large Language Models are influencing work and employment – there are trends that show positive and negative impacts. Our intent is to better understand these trends and learn how we as managers and employers can best use these new technologies as a compliment to human-based processes.
Stay tuned for more!