Why Meaningful Work Is The Key To Employee Accountability

We’ve all seen the headlines around the attention-grabbing catchphrases quiet quitting, coffee badging, and micro-shifting, and the potential risks they might have on an organization’s productivity.

And to date, the common response from leaders has been to lean into ‘employee accountability’ through the use of various employee tracking systems and conducting more performance reviews.

Of course, what’s really bothering leaders is the fact that while their employees are doing the work, they’re not invested in that work. It’s why we see so many high profile CEOs openly stating that to be “successful”, employees need to focus less on notions of a work-life balance and instead be fully dedicated to their job.

Unfortunately, as is often the case in such situations, what we’re focusing on is the symptoms and not the underlying causes behind employee dissatisfaction and disengagement.

We’re so focused on getting employees to be accountable that we overlook the one thing that actually makes accountability possible in the first place – creating conditions that allow employees to do meaningful work.

To help shed more light on this, in this latest edition of my Leadership Espresso Shot series, I share the story of an employee I worked with for over a decade and what their example reveals about what it takes to create meaningful work that drives genuine accountability across the organization.

Whether you’re struggling with employee accountability or not, this is an important episode that will help you understand what will be needed in the months and years ahead to encourage your employees to commit their best efforts to your organization.