We video chat with people on the other side of the world. Cars are driving themselves. And Elon Musk has a spaceship that will take us to Mars. Vast and rapid change is happening across nearly every spectrum of life and business. Yet, one aspect of our culture remains relatively stagnant: the workplace. The way we work essentially remains rooted in the 9 – 5 protocol put in place over 100 years ago by Henry Ford. Why hasn’t that changed?
For many of us, and particularly for those relatively new to the workplace, the way work is designed is a few frustrating steps away from being better. What if our company was run a little bit differently, or our company culture was a top priority, or the way we work was an open forum to discover better ways to work for everyone involved? How would work need to change so we all can feel like we’re working at forward-thinking companies like the Googles of the world?
Now, with the help of OpenWork, a non-profit organization, employees have access to a platform to voice their opinion and foster change. OpenWork believes any company has the potential to bring about progressive change by creating an open forum to exchange ideas from the ground up while remaining committed to working through change. OpenWork strives to spark change by working with companies to implement new practices and policies to create a better employee experience. OpenWork’s mission is grounded by the beliefs of leaders representing organizations such as The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, The New America Foundation, The Society for Human Resource Management, and many others.
How can you get started with OpenWork? The first step is to participate in OpenWork’s anonymous survey so they can better understand your experience at work and how best to help you. The survey measures several elements of the workplace experience including company culture, workplace productivity, and the importance of collaboration in the workplace. Once you’ve completed the survey, you’ll be given a company score and can see where your company ranks among the rest. Rally your friends and coworkers to do the same, and OpenWork will help communicate the aggregated results to your company as a way to stimulate changes to the way we all work together.
Update: Take this survey to get your voice heard and join the OpenWork commitment to changing the way we work!