They say there is nothing worse than hating your job. However, I think there is one thing: loving your job, but hating the organization or the person that you work for. I mean think about it. When a person hates their job, they probably don’t care about it all that much. They show up, do their responsibilities, and hate every second of it. A person who loves their actual job (i.e. the responsibilities that fall under their role) is likely to be emotionally invested in the role: they have passion and drive, and genuinely care about doing a good job. However, they are miserable because they hate the company they work for. It’s a polarizing position to be in.
This concept got me thinking: what goes into a company that makes people not want to work there? What are the overarching themes that contribute to why people DO stay at a workplace? When it came down to it, I recognized something: workplaces are like pipes.
The Actors
In this situation, we have a couple of different actors. First, we have our pipes. Our pipes are the foundation of the whole plumbing system. They hold the things that go through the pipes, they’re the company structure.
We’ve got the people who are using the bathroom, our employees. They push things through the pipe (gross) but they’re the people who are making the stuff go through. Then, we have our plumbers. These are the people, initiatives, and efforts we bring in to make sure that our pipes are flowing smoothly. This could be a consultant, a professional development program, or anything that stimulates positive functioning of our pipes.
Finally, we have our landlord. Our landlord is the person responsible for making sure all the things that help the pipes stay maintained are getting done. They call the plumbers, they tell users not to flush socks down the pipes, and they provide Drano to pour down the sink each month.
All of these different actors have a role in how the pipes work. If one of these things is breaking down, chances are, the pipes are going to be impacted.
Pipe Maintenance
I’m not a plumber, but I have lived in enough crappy apartments to have more than a few encounters with plumbers. From these encounters I’ve learned a few basics things about pipes; that water flows through them, and in order for them to function properly, they need to be maintained.
Imagine that your water flow is your company’s productivity. If the pipes aren’t maintained, chances are water isn’t flowing through, or it’s flowing through very slowly. Perhaps it has to push it’s way through, or work unnecessarily harder just to get past all the debris. If pipes are maintained, the water will flow through seamlessly. It doesn’t get stopped in the pipe, because that has all been prevented.
An organization with bad management or bad company culture is like a pipe that hasn’t been taken care of. They’re old and rusty; they may have clumps of dirt or hair stuck to them that’s preventing stuff from getting through. You’re constantly finding things getting backed up or overflowing, and then having to clean up an even bigger mess on the floor. By the time your landlord decides to call the plumber, they’re told they have bigger problems, and everything needs to be replaced. This is such a common problem in ineffective work environments. People are constantly battling work politics, ineffective hierarchies and policies, and other barriers that prevent organizational success. It can be difficult for employees to feel fully invested in a company if they’re constantly preparing to be on the defense. If they’re constantly waiting for an overflow to happen, how are we supposed to make any new change?
Comparatively, a company that invests in their pipes (i.e. invests in their structure or their foundation), is likely to see the water flow through easily. Their pipes are clean and functional. The landlord calls the plumber for regular maintenance and takes their advice on preventative measures to ensure longevity. There are trashcans in all of the bathrooms for things that shouldn’t be flushed down toilets. Things operate smoothly because of the cooperation between all of the actors. Everyone recognizes that investing in the pipes makes the water run through. If the water is running through things are getting done. When things are flowing smoothly, management is taking proactive initiative, and people feel that they are set up for success, things are more likely to get done efficiently. Employees are likely to feel more invested in their work because they see the fruit of it actually being produced.
When You Don’t Fix the Problem Early, You Get a Leak (or maybe a Flood)
All of the roles in this analogy have a piece in maintaining pipes or letting pipes slowly disintegrate. However, the landlord has the most important role. The pipes are the foundation, but the foundation wouldn’t exist if the landlord hadn’t built the building. Company culture and organizational success starts from the top and flows down, just like water in pipes. Putting in the work to prevent problems from happening is essential in creating an environment that people can have succeed in. However, just maintaining pipes doesn’t always prevent a leak from happening. But, it does prevent a leak from becoming a flood.
The Emotionally-Invested Bathroom User
Having an employee who has passion for what they do can drive so much good into a company. That emotional investment is likely to drive productivity and positivity that can spread through a company and produce numerous benefits on the culture. If those in administrative roles take the time to invest in and maintain their pipes, it allows all employees to thrive and feel that they can succeed in their position. Personally, I’ve been on both sides of this story: I’m SO lucky to currently work for a company that invests so much in their pipes. Company culture contributes to retention of employees. So, if you want employees that are loyal, productive, and genuinely care about the success of the whole organization, you should start by hiring a plumber.