A Shift in the Wind...

Green Values Inspiring a Democratic Workplace

By: Greg Neil
Date: June 10, 2009

Ednote: The triple bottom line has become the mantra of corporations who would desire to not become dinosaurs of tomorrow’s market leaders. Incorporating the values associated with people, planet and profits or restated-economics, environment and society the principle tenet is that when people…read employees are valued they will find a way to be more valuable…read productive. Infact those organizations that have endorsed those values find their parking lots full after working hours, their employees brag about the company they work for/with and the companies’ profits soon show the results. Greg Neil writes about the trend and how it is shaping tomorrow’s workplace environment.

A New Freedom at Work

There is a new call going out across the nation – we can see it everywhere we look. There are changes being made with historical consequences at all levels of our society, not all of them with a promise of an easy and successful conclusion. Driving this discomfort of change is the dissatisfaction we feel with the situations in our lives that in the past may have felt beyond our control. We are living in a time when the mood and spirit of the moment is gaining strength and courage, tipping the scales balanced by the comfort of apathy and resignation. We may not be certain of what lies ahead, but ahead we go with the demand and expectation to make a better life out of our circumstances.

We may ask the question – what would Green values and practices look like in a business environment, but the truth is, while some of us have been busy saving the forests, the oceans, the animals, and our air quality; all of us have been longing for a greater freedom and joy in the way we earn a living. We have been concerned about recycling and indoor air quality, bit what we can no longer live without is a workplace that honors humanitarian values. And these desires and longings are changing the way we do business with each other. The invention of new practices offering a far more powerful way to function at work, are upsetting a very old paradigm of fear and control. The conventional practices of top down, command and control are being replaced with choice, collaboration, and accountability.

People are no longer content with merely putting in time and taking home a check. The amount of time we spend at work has grown, and so has the desire for our time at work to be more meaningful. Employees want a greater sense of freedom in how they spend their time at work.

They want an experience of ownership for the work they perform. They want more voice and responsibility that elevates their role from being told what to do, to actually thinking for themselves.

Employees want to be heard in completely new ways, ways that have them feel important, that they can be counted on, and that what they are doing is making a difference. They want to feel like they are being a part of something that matters – that what they are doing is important in some way to their own lives and their community.

All of this really makes sense when you look at it from a perspective of; there are usually many employees, one owner, and a few managers. If the background thinking is control to produce results, then this ratio makes sense. If people are trusted and allowed to think for themselves, it is now a system that impedes production.

Why is letting go and trusting so hard for business owners? What is it that is working against this type of thinking? If this is really a Win Win for all involved, why is it so often misunderstood?

Gregory Neil Associates offers tools to empower employees to be the driving force of the business and unleash the human spirit to give you the most productive and profitable environment possible.

For more information visit our site at www.gregoryneilassociates.com