這一代人正改變企業高管層的面貌
Ed Frauenheim
2019-07-24
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蒂婭·波普精通密碼安全技術，但她的生活方式卻和秘密低調恰恰相反。 波普是科技公司思科的一名工程師。她的專業是密碼學，工作內容是保護重要信息不被窺探。但波普在公司內外都非常引人注目。過去幾年，她牽頭了一個關于安全問題的內部會議。今年快30歲的波普還利用思科的一個社區服務項目，為南非和印度的貧困兒童提供機器人課程。思科在網站和社交媒體上宣傳了她的志愿者工作。 實際上，波普是一個干勁十足、活出聲音的千禧一代。她說，自己在思科找到了家的感覺，領導們給了她足夠的權力去重新改造安全會議，她能夠靈活地選擇在家工作來照顧寶寶，而且有足夠的自由在全球范圍內開展慈善工作。波普在四年前研究生畢業后就進了思科，沒有離開的打算。 她不會被其他想招她的公司發給她的招聘短信吸引。有一些科技公司的文化中缺乏人文關懷和權力下放，她為自己在這些公司工作的朋友感到遺憾。 “我收到短信時會想：‘真高興把你們都拒了。’”波普說，“我和朋友們聊天時，他們會談到感覺自己受到了很大的限制，無法充分發揮潛能，或者沒有感覺到他們每一個人的重要性。” 思科能夠為波普創造一個舒適、鼓舞人心的工作環境，看到它登上2019年“千禧一代最佳工作場所100強”榜單也就不足為奇了。這份年度榜單由研究分析公司卓越職場（Great Place to Work）與《財富》雜志合編。 人力資源應用軟件制造商Ultimate Software在今年的榜單上排名第一位，酒店巨頭希爾頓和商業軟件制造商Salesforce緊隨其后。 為了確定最適合千禧一代的最佳工作場所100強，卓越職場分析了450多萬人對60多個問題的匿名問卷調查結果。85%的評估標準是基于千禧一代是否感覺被信任、能否在組織中充分發揮個人潛能，而不管他們是誰或工作任務什么。排名中剩下的15%是基于他們對日常創新體驗、公司價值觀和領導效能的感受反饋。 卓越職場在研究這些數據時還發現，隨著越來越多的千禧一代開始承擔領導角色，這個充滿活力、經常被誤解的一代人正在改變領導層的面貌。 研究表明，千禧一代塑造或者追求效仿的領導風格比前幾代人更加多元，更加包容。他們更注重合作關系。更注重忠于個人價值觀。更注重為人們——尤其是人父人母——在8小時之外創造能夠照顧家人的空間。 實際上，千禧一代的領導風格與長期以來的工作環境大相徑庭。多年來，在受到嚴格管控的工作環境中，員工幾乎沒有或根本沒有任何靈活度和自主性，必須聽命行事，必須把“專業”自我和“個人”自我割裂開。 此外，有證據表明，千禧一代的管理非常適合向更扁平、更快、更公平的商業世界轉變。我們準備要進入一個新時代，這個時代的領導者真實、果斷、推崇全員參與，更注重高效的團隊和組織。卓越職場把這樣的領導者稱為“全民服務型領導”（“For All Leaders”）。 研究中一個特別驚人的發現是，如果千禧一代認為公司文化足夠優秀，他們會想要留下來。如果千禧一代認為自己的公司是卓越職場，他們打算和雇主建立長期關系的可能性要比工作環境不佳的同輩人高出50倍。在“千禧一代最佳工作場所100強”工作的千禧一代中，87%表示打算長期呆在那里，這一比例大約是全國平均水平（44%）的兩倍。 因此，在解決許多企業面臨的年輕員工流動問題時，優秀的企業文化是一個解決方案，當今勞動力市場緊張的情況下尤其如此。 思科因為破解了年輕人認可的偉大文化的密碼而脫穎而出。從2018年到2019年，思科在“最佳工作場所信任指數”（Great Place to Work Trust Index）中的調查結果顯著提升。千禧一代對以下說法的正面回應尤其明顯： ·我們贊美勇于嘗試新方法、好方法的人，不管結果如何。 ·我的工作有特殊的意義：這不“僅僅是一份工作”。 ·我想在這里長期工作。 結果是現在95%的千禧一代認為思科是一家很棒的公司，高于去年的91%。 該公司的表現優秀，在“千禧一代最佳工作場所100強”榜單中上升了44位，排名第9。 思科的高級社交媒體和人才品牌經理卡門·柯林斯表示，讓千禧一代感到輕松自在的關鍵是提升透明度。 “思科每年召開10次全體員工大會，我們把這個會議稱為‘思科節拍’（Cisco Beat）。思科員工可以在會上了解到關于產品和營銷活動的第一手信息，會議還設有開誠布公的高管問答時間。”柯林斯說，“問題不設禁區。如果現場某個問題的答案是‘我不知道’，后續會有跟進。” 關于不設限提問，柯林斯并不是在說笑。思科的領導人已經顯示出，他們愿意解決延伸到公司外部的敏感問題。 柯林斯表示：“當安東尼·波登和凱特·斯佩德自殺后，思科的首席執行官羅卓克發了電子郵件，表示這次事件影響深遠，思科十分不希望這件事留下烙印，愿意為員工提供必要的資源。” 柯林斯本人屬于X世代。但她和思科的其他領導人認識到，對千禧一代來說，能夠在工作中展示自己完整真實的一面是非常重要的。 “思科社交媒體賬號@WeAreCisco希望通過讓現有員工發言，吸引新員工，留住老員工。如果你想知道在思科工作是什么樣子，那就看看真正的員工是怎么說的。”柯林斯說，“你求職時看到公司是什么樣，入職時就是什么樣。對于員工來說，這意味著他們可以做自己——我們的口號是‘做你自己，和我們在一起。’” 對卡洛琳·奧爾森而言，做自己就意味著除了當工程師，還可以當瑜伽老師。24歲的她在舊金山的思科公司做售前工程師。思科安排她為北加州地區最大的一些機構提供服務，同時也安排時間讓她在周四和周日的下午5:30教瑜伽課。 奧爾森感謝思科在工作時間和地點上保持靈活，這樣她每周都可以兼顧數據網絡和瑜伽“下犬式”。她自己力爭過上圓滿全面的生活，許多千禧一代的同齡人也都如此。“我們真的很重視工作和生活的平衡。”奧爾森說，“我能過上平衡、有活力的業余生活，這樣我就可以把最好的自己投入到工作中去。” 思科為奧爾森和波普這樣的千禧一代創造了空間，讓他們過上想要的生活，同時還提升了業績。截至4月27日的三個月里，思科的營收增長6%，達130億美元，凈收入躍升13%，達30億美元。 思科強勁的業績符合卓越職場對“為全民服務”文化的商業效益的研究結果。在“為全民服務”的文化中，公司通過為每個人創造卓越的工作體驗，可以最大限度地發揮每個人的潛力，而不管他們是誰或在組織中承擔什么角色。 研究顯示，“服務所有人的卓越職場”的營收增長是包容性沒有那么強的同行公司的三倍。 在思科，像奧爾森和波普這樣的千禧一代正以各種方式推動公司前進。比如說波普對思科安全會議的影響。這曾經是一個高度技術性的會議，曾經幾乎聽不到什么不一樣的聲音，但現在已經成為了一個更加多元的活動。波普是非洲裔美國人，她打破過去的常規做法，邀請了白人男性之外的演講者，還擴大了活動范圍，將客戶、外部合作伙伴以及思科的人力資源和營銷等職能部門都囊括在內。例如，思科營銷部門的管理人員就利用他們在有效溝通方面的專長，為防范釣魚網站宣傳活動制作了相應的信息圖表，以提高公司抵御此類攻擊的能力。 波普還引入了一個好玩的元素——在活動中加入了“密室逃脫”的體驗。這不過是這位擁有密碼學專業知識的千禧一代向廣大觀眾表達自己的又一種方式。 “我擁有了一個展示創造力的容器。”波普在談到年會時說，“我認為每個人都很有安全感。”（財富中文網） 艾德·弗勞恩海姆是卓越職場的高級內容總監，也是《為全民服務的卓越職場》（A Great Place to Work For All）一書的合著者。 譯者：Agatha |
Tia Pope may be skilled in cryptographic security, but she lives her life in a way that’s just about the opposite of secret. Pope is an engineer at technology company Cisco. Her specialty is cryptography, a profession devoted to keeping important information hidden from prying eyes. But Pope is extremely visible in the company and beyond. For the past several years, she has led an internal conference on security issues. Pope, who is in her late twenties, also has taken advantage of a Cisco community service program to give robotics classes to disadvantaged children in South Africa and India. And Cisco has broadcast her volunteer work on its website and social media channels. In effect, Pope is a hard-charging, live-out-loud millennial. And she says she’s found a home at Cisco, where leaders have given her the power to reshape the security conference, the flexibility to work at home to care for her infant, and the freedom to do charity work around the globe. Four years after coming to the company following grad school, Pope has no plans to leave. She isn’t temped by the texts from recruiters at some of the firms that first tried to hire her. And she feels bad for friends at other tech firms that lack a caring, power-sharing culture. “I get texts, and I’m thinking ‘I’m glad I turned you all down,’” Pope says. “I’m speaking to my friends and they feel very confined or restricted in regard to what they can do, or just them mattering as an individual.” With its ability to create a welcoming, inspiring environment for Pope, it’s not surprising that Cisco is on the 2019 list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials, the annual ranking compiled by research and analytics firm Great Place to Work in partnership with Fortune. Ultimate Software, a maker of HR applications, ranked No. 1 on this year’s list, followed by hotel giant Hilton and business software maker Salesforce. To determine the 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials, Great Place to Work analyzed anonymous survey results from more than 4.5 million people, who responded to more than 60 survey questions. Eight-five percent of the evaluation is based on what millennials say about their experiences of trust and ability to reach their full human potential at their organization, no matter who they are or what they do. The remaining 15 percent of the ranking is based on their feedback about daily experiences of innovation, the company’s values, and the effectiveness of their leaders. While studying the data, Great Place to Work also found that this dynamic, oft-misunderstood generation is changing the face of leadership—just as millennials are beginning to assume leadership roles in larger numbers. The research shows that the style of leadership millennials are modeling and seeking to emulate is more diverse and inclusive than in previous generations. It’s more about partnership. It’s more about staying true to personal values. And it’s more about making space for people—father and mothers especially—to care for loved ones outside of work. In effect, millennial-style leadership is a far cry from the regimented environments that have long defined workplaces, where employees have little to no flexibility, must do what they’re told and have to divide themselves into a “professional” and “personal” self. What’s more, the evidence suggests millennial management fits quite well with the shift to a flatter, faster, fairness-focus business world. We’re poised to enter an era of more effective teams and organizations, guided by a new generation of authentic, purposeful, participatory leaders. What we at Great Place to Work call “For All Leaders.” A particularly striking finding from the research is that when millennials experience a great culture, they want to stay. Members of this generation who call their organization a great place to work are 50 times more likely to plan a long-term relationship with their employer compared to millennial employees who do not experience a great work environment. Eighty-seven percent of millennials at the 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials say they intend to remain there for a long time, roughly twice as many as the national average of 44 percent. A great culture, then, is a solution to the turnover problem many organizations face with younger employees—especially in today’s tight labor market. Cisco stands out for cracking the code on a great culture for younger people. Its results on the Great Place to Work Trust Index survey rose significantly from 2018 to 2019. There were particularly large jumps for millennials’ responses to statements including: · We celebrate people who try new and better ways of doing things, regardless of the outcome. · My work has special meaning: This is not “just a job.” · I want to work here for a long time. As a result, Cisco now has 95 percent of its millennials saying the company is a great place to work, up from 91 percent last year. The strong performance allowed the organization to move up 44 spots on the list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials to No. 9. Carmen Collins, Cisco’s Senior Social Media and Talent Brand Manager, says a key to making millennials feel at home is transparency. “Cisco holds all-employee meetings called the Cisco Beat 10 times a year, where Cisconians have a first-hand look at products and campaigns, as well as open and honest executive Q&A time,” Collins says. “Nothing is off limits. If the answer is ‘I don’t know’ to a question—there’s a follow up.” Collins isn’t kidding about the nothing-off-limits comment. Cisco leaders have shown themselves willing to address sensitive issues that extend beyond the company’s walls. “When Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade committed suicide, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins sent an email about how important an issue this is and how Cisco doesn’t want there to be a stigma about it, with resources for employees if needed,” Collins says. Collins herself is a Gen Xer. But she and other Cisco leaders recognize the importance to millennials of being able to bring their full, authentic selves to work. “The @WeAreCisco social media channels feature employee voices to attract new employees, but also to retain current employees. If you want to know what it’s like to work at Cisco, it’s in the form of what real employees say,” Collins says. “What you see when you apply is the case when you walk in the front door. For employees, that means that they can be themselves—our motto is ‘Be you, With us.’” For Caroline Olson, being herself means being a yoga teacher besides an engineer. The 24-year-old works as a pre-sales engineer for Cisco based in San Francisco. Cisco has assigned her to serve some of the biggest organizations in the Northern California region, but also makes time for Olson to teach yoga classes at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays. Olson is grateful for Cisco’s flexibility on work hours and location, so that she can move from data networks to downward dogs every week. Her own commitment to a well-rounded life is something she sees in many of her millennial peers. “We really do value our work-life balance,” Olson says. “I’m able to have balance and feel rejuvenated outside of the office so that I may bring my best self to my work.” As it makes space for millennials like Olson and Pope to live out the lives they want, Cisco is seeing its business results advance. For the three months ended April 27, Cisco’s revenue rose 6 percent to $13 billion, and its net income jumped 13 percent to $3 billion. The strong performance is in keeping with Great Place to Work’s research on the business benefits of a “For All” culture, where a company maximizes its human potential by creating a great workplace experience for everyone, no matter who they are or what they do for the organization. The research shows that Great Places to Work For All enjoy revenue growth that is three times higher than their less inclusive peers. At Cisco, millennials like Olson and Pope are moving the organization ahead in a variety of ways. Consider Pope’s impact on the Cisco security conference. What was once a highly technical conference with very little diversity of voices has become a much more inclusive affair. Pope—who is African American—not only invited speakers beyond the white, male voices who had been the primary presenters in years past, but also widened the event to include clients, outside partners and Cisco functions like HR and marketing. Cisco marketing officials, for example, brought their expertise in effective communication to help generate infographics for an anti-phishing campaign to improve the company’s defenses against such attacks. Pope also introduced a playful element, incorporating an “escape room” experience as part of the event. That was just one more way this millennial with cryptography expertise is expressing herself to a wide audience. “I have a vessel to showcase my creativity,” Pope says of the annual conference. “I personally feel security involves everyone.” Ed Frauenheim is senior director of content at Great Place to Work and co-author of the book A Great Place to Work For All. |
