According to Wikipedia, “Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.” Canadians were pioneers in this movement to make work better, with a parade in Toronto in December 1872 supporting the Toronto Typographical Union’s strike for a 58-hour work-week. This sort of event didn’t happen in the US until about a decade later. In the 1880s, Labour Day began to be celebrated on the first Monday of September. Today, for many people, Labour day simply marks the end of summer, with families scurrying to do last minute back-to-school shopping and finding time to celebrate sunshine at the beach.
This Labour Day, I’m thinking of today’s movement for a better world of work. Let’s cast off the chains of a 72-hour work week, make it clear that ego, disrespect and harassment have no place at work, and look for ways we can each make work awesome (or at least a little better) every day.
I imagine a world where work is awesome, and everyone has to tools and mindset to make it so.
I imagine a world of work where:
- we have the freedom to decide how, when and where to get our work done most effectively for our organizations and our lives
- we strive to do our best work because we know how we contribute to our team, company and customer
- we have the opportunity to be involved in projects that we’re passionate about, not just what is assigned in a job description
- we live our values in life and work
- we ensure that the voices and talents of people of all colours, gender identities and diverse opinions are heard and valued
- we all know that a title doesn’t make someone a leader – it’s how we treat others that causes people to be inspired to follow us
- we appreciate each other, genuinely and regularly
- we use compassion to empathize and encourage greatness in our peers and team members
- we challenge ourselves and others to be extraordinary
- our organizations focus on purpose and passion, not just profit
- we encourage debate and diverse opinions, and listen with empathy even when we disagree
- we create opportunities for people to connect with each other and form friendships at work
- we are able to do work that challenges us and makes us of our unique talents
- we are able to bring our whole selves to work, warts and all, and be fully accepted
- we face change, which is inevitable and rapid, with resilience, curiosity and creativity
- we lead with courage, love, and trust, not fear, ego or blame
We don’t need a Labour Day parade or holiday to remind us that work doesn’t have to suck. We don’t need to wait for HR or our boss to engage us. We can all take responsibility for making work awesome in our own way every day.
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What helps to make work awesome (or at least a little better) for you?
Please share in the comments or with us on Facebook!
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