The New Work Exchange: Embracing the Future by Putting Employees First

By Scott Cawood

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO MAKE WORK BETTER?

With shifting worker expectations and market upheaval, leaders and organizations everywhere are trying to catch their breath. As a result, a division in workplace culture has emerged with some companies clinging to obsolete corporate practices and others feeling lost and overwhelmed.

As the CEO of WorldatWork and a self-proclaimed “work nerd,” author Scott Cawood introduces The New Work Exchange, a philosophy which redefines a successful workplace. From unpacking the history of work, the challenges of keeping pace with consumer demands, and the importance of putting people first, The New Work Exchange is a journey to reassess value alignment between workers and workplaces.

With real-life examples from some of the best (and worst) workplaces to practical questions and tips, The New Work Exchange is an exploration of what work really works.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Forbes Books
• Release date: Jun 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887500270

Scott Cawood

SCOTT CAWOOD, EdD, CCP, GRP, CSCP, CBP, has spent his entire career working to answer the question, how can we make work — and workplaces — better? A self-described “work nerd,” Cawood’s passion for the workplace and how it functions (or not) inspired him to earn degrees in organizational communication, labor and industrial relations, education, and a doctorate degree in organization and work-based learning. Unsurprisingly, he’s forged these disciplines into a singular passion for organizations dedicated to great work. Since 2015, he’s been CEO of the nonprofit member-based association WorldatWork, dedicated to figuring out how to make work and the employee experience better for top organizations across the world. A renowned speaker and presenter, this is his second book.

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CHAPTER 1

Working for Way More Than the Weekend

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W hat do you do?

It’s a question we’ve all asked—and been asked. It’s a go-to icebreaker and marks the beginning of friendships, relationships, and opportunities. Work doesn’t just explain what we do to earn a wage—it’s an inherent part of who we are and is one of the greatest ways we can fulfill our purposes as human beings. Work can help us create value in our lives in addition to bringing value to others.

For such a short question, it packs a lot in it. Whether it’s formal or informal, the reality is that most people do work, and many people love to work, but most of us also take for granted that work can be a total nuisance.

Throughout the introduction, we looked at the state of work. What if work didn’t have to be seen as a four-letter word? What if we didn’t approach it as a chore or count down the days to the weekend or our next vacation? What if by making it better and more meaningful, we could see work add value to our lives and organizations, have a positive effect on our happiness and engagement levels, and make money—for ourselves and our businesses—at the same time?

Maybe that sounds ambitious or naive, but throughout this chapter, we’ll prime ourselves for the New Work Exchange by realizing that work can be more than a job.

Redefining work may sound too good to be true, but considering the way many people see work in a negative light—and the overall impact of that—making work better isn’t just a nice to do. It’s a need to do. Influencing work is one of the most significant contributions we can make to our own happiness, organizations, employees, customers—and, yes, the world.

At times, I sound like an idealist, but when it comes to work, I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. Looking at work through a new lens is the foundation of the New Work Exchange. While I don’t expect every day at work to feel like a walk in the park, I am a firm believer that work can and must be a better experience—but that’s not attainable if we continue to think about it as we do today.

Changing how, when, and why we work requires a new approach (mentally and physically) from all of us because we all shape our organizations, our own work experiences, and the work experiences of those around us. So to start, I’m going to share how my first experiences at work shaped how I think about work.

REFLECTING: WORK DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A JOB

When I was fourteen years old, I was eager to get to work. In my home state, this was two years too young to legally start working, but I wasn’t going to let some pesky labor laws get in my way. I wanted to work, organizations needed me to work, and labor laws weren’t a big deal to me at that phase of my life, so I assumed they probably weren’t to others either. I also figured no one was going to check on a minor detail such as my age. Turns out I was right because while I was eventually fired from that job, it wasn’t because of my age.

That’s right. My first employer fired me. Let’s explore why.

Like many teens, I entered the workforce through the world of fast food. All these years later, I can still recall the hiring manager’s questions during my first-ever interview. Everything focused on logistic issues:

What time can you get here after school?

What days can you work?

Are you going to trim your hair?

Not a single question about me as a person. No discussion about the company’s values, no debate to reveal whether I’d fit the mold of what they considered a good employee.

In my worldview, I’ve always been fairly innovative. I still like to find new ways to do things, and I was no different back then. However, as it turned out, that approach was in direct opposition to my employer, who was very prescriptive about process. There were rules for exactly how long we should cook fries and the order in which we assembled burgers. I had to memorize the order for putting condiments on the buns. You get the idea.

I, on the other hand, felt like we could improve the process and make it way more fun. So I’d take some extra time with the ketchup to draw a smiley face on the burger patty. Never mind that the customer would never see my innovative detail once the burger was delivered—surely they could taste the benefit of my personal touch. I’d hang out at the counter, chitchatting with customers, asking how their days were going—which of course, took up more time, leading to longer lines. Looking back, I guess I didn’t quite grasp the concept of fast food. Given the modern popularity of espresso art, I was just ahead of my time!

Long story short: I wanted to personalize the experiences and innovate in a place where they were quite happy with the way things were. They needed people who’d follow their rules and processes, meaning I was a terrible culture fit. So I was unceremoniously fired, which was probably the right thing for all parties. Even if I had been the right age, I probably never should’ve been hired in the first place. Interview questions were designed to demonstrate whether I could do the job, not whether I was a good fit for their approach, which is an important lesson I still carry with me.

This experience also introduced me to thinking of management as them and the employees as we, which meant I began to see the work as a job instead of something that would push me to be my absolute best. Decades later, I realize that the New Work Exchange requires us to find and build great cultural fit, requires us to understand that us-versus-them leadership is damaging to organizations, and should inspire and fulfill people as much as possible.

My next work experience—also in fast food—taught me yet another lesson I still see play out in organizations today, especially regarding how managers learn to lead people. Before I started at this new job, there had been an incident in which a former employee stole the polyester shirt that we all wore as part of our uniform. The manager’s solution was to institute a rule that no employee could take home their work shirt. We had to leave our shirts at work, where they’d be waiting for our next shifts. As you can imagine, it didn’t take too long for my shirt to get pretty grungy. After all, when you’re working next to fryers, flipping burgers, and making hot fudge sundaes, it’s bound to happen.

Then one day, the owner of the store came in and said, Hey, you’re doing a great job, but you’ve gotta wash your shirt. To which I responded, "Oh, I’m not allowed to take it home to wash